1951 Map of Callaway NW

About this map

Ortello Valley and the surrounding tablelands of Custer County reflect a mid-century landscape of rural education and dispersed farming. The map reveals a remarkably dense network of country schools, such as Center Sch, Fairview Sch, and Maple Grove Sch, spaced to serve a community tied to the land. This distribution of small schoolhouses, including Sunflower Sch and Highland Sch, suggests a persistent rural population density prior to the consolidation of modern school districts. Spring Creek cuts through the southern reaches, where Upper Spring Creek Sch stands near the transition into the Ryno and Triumph areas. The presence of Cliff Ch and its associated Cem underscores the importance of local religious and social centers in this pocket of the Nebraska plains, while the varied terrain of Table and Cliffs defines the physical character of the high prairies.