1961 Map of Chappell SE

About this map

High plains ranching and agricultural patterns define this corner of the Nebraska-Colorado border as it appeared in the early 1960s. The landscape is etched by a series of north-south drainage systems, including Walrath Draw, O'Neil Draw, and Hartley Draw, which navigate the rolling terrain. Human activity is centered around remote rural institutions like Swan Center Sch in the north and School No 41 to the south. The mapping of the State Line between Deuel County, Nebraska, and Sedgwick County, Colorado, illustrates the surveyed grid of the American West, where property and political lines often ignore the subtle contours of the earth. Water management is evident near the southern boundary, where the Peterson Ditch provides essential irrigation for the high-altitude prairie environment.