1971 Map of Buske Ranch

About this map

Buske Ranch sits within a sparsely settled portion of Garden County, where the topography of the Nebraska Sandhills dictates the local water management and ranching operations. The southern portion of the landscape is defined by the Lisco Canal, an essential irrigation feature for the Platte River valley just to the south. The intermittent flow of Coldwater Creek and several isolated Springs and a lone Spring provide the primary water sources for livestock in this arid environment. This 1971 survey, based on aerial photography from two years prior, captures the rural infrastructure of the High Plains before modern industrial ranching methods further transformed the open range. The map reveals a land characterized by rolling sand dunes and natural drainage patterns where human intervention is limited to a handful of vital water-conveyance systems and private ranch headquarters.