1949 Map of Box Butte

About this map

Wild Horse Butte and the surrounding high plains of the Nebraska Panhandle define this landscape as it was documented in the late 1940s. The topography, mapped via plane-table methods, reveals a sparse but organized pastoral environment marked by the ephemeral drainage of Box Butte Creek. This survey captures the rural infrastructure of the era, where one-room schoolhouses like School No 46 and School No 15 served as the primary social and educational hubs for widely scattered ranching families. The terrain transitions into the area known as Running Water, a name suggesting the vital importance of seasonal water sources in this semi-arid region. Located along the boundary of Box Butte County and Sheridan County, the map provides a precise look at section lines and land divisions before modern agricultural shifts.