2012 Map of Broken Leg Dam

About this map

Broken Leg Dam sits at the heart of this Jackson County landscape, anchoring a drainage system defined by intermittent prairie streams and specialized basins. The topography is split between the West Cottonwood Creek Basin and the East Cottonwood Creek Basin, where the drainage of Settin Up Cr and Hay Cr carves into the high plains. Small impoundments like Poor Bear Lake suggest the localized water management necessary for ranching in this arid environment. A network of county roads, including CS 54 and CS 56, creates a rigid grid across the land, reflecting the systematic land surveying of the American West. This 2012 survey illustrates a sparsely populated region where the infrastructure is entirely dedicated to the movement of livestock and the collection of seasonal runoff in an area of significant hydrological transition.