1948 Map of Box Butte Reservoir West

About this map

The Niobrara River flows eastward across this high plains landscape, feeding into the western reaches of the Box Butte Reservoir. This mid-century survey by the Bureau of Reclamation and the Geological Survey documents a remote stretch of the Dawes and Box Butte County line shortly after the reservoir's creation. The southern portion of the map is defined by the winding route of the Chicago Burlington and Quincy railroad, which cuts through the topography near Sand Canyon. Rural education centers such as Sch No 50 and Sch No 52 serve the surrounding townships of Leonard and Lawrence. The map's detailed contouring reveals the transition from the flat river valley and reservoir basin to the complex drainage patterns of Willow Creek and the surrounding breaks.