1985 Map of Brookings

About this map

The Big Sioux River drainage system dominates this mid-1980s landscape across the border of South Dakota and Minnesota, where agricultural townships are defined by a dense network of wildlife management areas and regional water bodies. The city of Brookings serves as a primary hub, situated near the headwaters of Sixmile Creek and Medary Creek. To the east, the cultural and geological significance of Pipestone National Monument is clearly delineated near the city of Pipestone, alongside the Pipestone Indian State Wildlife Management Area. Transport and commerce in this era relied on the Chicago and North Western and Burlington Northern railroads, which linked grain-handling settlements like Elkton, Aurora, and Volga. Large glacial lakes such as Lake Benton, Lake Shaokatan, and Oakwood Lakes State Park provide significant recreational and ecological anchor points amidst the grid of sections.