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1950 Map of Bonny Reservoir

Name: 1950 Topographic Map of Bonny Reservoir
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1969
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1969

About this map

Bonny Reservoir dominates this High Plains landscape, a major water management feature of the Missouri River Basin project located just west of the Colorado-Kansas border. The map captures a transition in the local economy, where established cattle operations like Moellenberg Ranch and Foster Ranch sit alongside the newly managed waters of the South Fork Republican River. The area is dotted with numerous rural educational institutions, including Armel High Sch and Liberty Sch, serving the scattered agricultural community.

Evidence of early 20th-century settlement patterns is visible in the network of small schools and local landmarks. The tiny settlement of Hale remains a central point near the reservoir, while the State Game Refuge along the river indicates early conservation efforts. This survey provides a window into the development of Yuma County's water infrastructure and the persistence of family ranching traditions in the eastern plains.