1951 Map of Broken Bow NE

About this map

Snake Run School and Senate Valley School anchor a landscape of small rural school districts across the rolling Nebraska hills northeast of Broken Bow. This mid-century survey reveals a highly localized social fabric, where one-room schoolhouses like Rose Valley School and Reed Valley School are spaced every few miles to serve the surrounding agricultural townships of Garfield, Broken Bow, and Berwyn. Along the southern corridor, the Burlington Northern railroad follows the course of Mud Creek, passing the Broken Bow Fairground and a mid-century Drive-in Theater. The map captures the distinctive topography of the region, from the high French Tableland in the northeast down into the drainage of Tappan Valley and Dutchman Valley. Local spiritual life is marked by the Broken View Church and Bethel Church, serving as landmarks in this sparsely populated Custer County landscape.