1956 Map of Cottonwood Creek NE

About this map

The Grand River meanders sharply across this central South Dakota landscape, defining the character of the terrain in the mid-1950s. This survey was conducted as part of the Department of the Interior's Missouri River Basin development program, documenting a sparse and largely undeveloped prairie region. The river's winding path is punctuated by a marked Ford, indicating the historical importance of river-crossing points in an area with limited infrastructure. To the north, the drainage of Lodge Creek carves through the uplands, while Cottonwood Creek feeds into the main river valley from the south. The absence of settlements or established roads highlights the territory's identity as open range and river bottomland during this era of federal land management and water resource planning.