1951 Map of Coleman Butte

About this map

Family ranching and communal life define the landscape of Platte County at the start of the 1950s, centered around the landmark Coleman Butte. The map reveals a tight-knit agricultural network along the winding Cottonwood Creek, anchored by the Cottonwood Community Hall. The presence of multiple generations or branches of a single family is evident in the cluster of the M L Coleman Ranch, H B Coleman Ranch, and Harry Coleman Ranch. Further out, the Fletcher Ranch and Willadsen Ranch mark the expansion of grazing and irrigation into the surrounding hills. This survey, part of the Missouri River Basin development program, meticulously documents the water sources vital to this high-plains economy, including numerous unnamed windmills and specific waterways like South Bear Creek and Crow Creek. The terrain transitions from the broad Table Mountain in the north to the distinctive wooded escarpment of Pine Ridge.