1985 Map of Bunner Lake

About this map

Isolated family outposts like Buchfinck Ranch and Bunner Ranch define this pocket of the Nebraska Sandhills in the mid-1980s. The landscape is a complex system of dunes and depressions, where numerous small, unnamed water bodies cluster around the larger Bunner Lake and Anderson Lake. The settlement pattern is sparse, consisting of established ranching operations and named locations such as Flats Place and Dyer Ranch that served as local landmarks in an otherwise repeating terrain of valleys. Distinctive natural corridors like Long Valley and Hardy Valley cut through the sand hills, providing the primary orientation for travel between the scattered lakes, including Round Lake, Pratt Lake, and Williams Lake. This survey captures the region just before the shift to more modern digital mapping, documenting the traditional landholdings and water access points essential to High Plains ranching life.