1950 Map of Buffalo Gap

About this map

Buffalo Gap sits at the northern edge of this mid-century survey, a point where the prairie meets the rising elevation of the Custer and Fall River County line. The Chicago and North Western railroad provides the primary industrial spine of the region, running south past the small community of Oral. This landscape is defined by the winding course of the Cheyenne River, which carves a deep path across the southern half of the map, joined by tributaries like Beaver Creek and Spring Creek. The distribution of local institutions reveals the era's rural life, from active schools like Falls Sch and Fairview Sch to the Friedrick Sch, which was already noted as abandoned by 1950. Several burial grounds, including the Buffalo Gap Cem and Hines Cem, provide critical points of interest for those tracing family history in this corner of South Dakota.