1949 Map of Columbus SW

About this map

Coal Field operations dominate the northern landscape of this 1949 study, which reveals the industrial and social fabric of northwestern North Dakota at the time. The terrain is divided into regional sections named Keller, Border, and Harmonius, reflecting the early rural organization of Burke and Divide counties. In the north, active Strip Mines indicate the region's reliance on mineral extraction, while a network of country schools including School No 1, School No 2, and School No 4 shows the dispersed nature of the agricultural community. Religious and social life are anchored by the Prairie Chapel and its associated Prairie Chapel Cem in the northwest, alongside South St Olaf Ch further south. The map preserves the exact locations of these institutions before the shifting demographics of the later twentieth century altered the rural school and church systems.