1959 Map of Coal Draw

About this map

High plains ranching life in Converse County is meticulously documented in this late 1950s survey. The landscape is defined by the headwaters of the Cheyenne River, where the North Fork and South Fork converge near the Manning Ranch. Life here revolved around water management, evidenced by the numerous Flowing Wells and the Betty Supply Ditch that feeds the Reynolds Reservoir. Family-named operations like the Fred Taylor Ranch, Spracklin Ranch, and Stevie Ranch are scattered across the drainage of Antelope Creek and Sand Creek, many served by small Landing Strips or a Landing Area that suggest the vast distances of the Wyoming interior. This topographic study captures a specific era of Western agricultural settlement before modern consolidation, preserving the locations of remote homesteads and the intricate network of draws like Bustard Draw and Hornbuckle Draw.