1956 Map of Cottonwood Creek NE

About this map

The Grand River meanders across this landscape within the boundaries of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. This 1956 survey, updated with 1975 revisions, captures the hydrology of the Missouri River Basin development era. The winding path of the river is flanked by the drainage of Lodge Creek to the north and the namesake Cottonwood Creek to the south. The terrain is characterized by a sparse, open settlement pattern typical of the South Dakota plains, where natural waterways like the Grand River dictated the placement of early routes and grazing lands. Genealogists and historians can trace the topography as it existed prior to later-century landscape alterations, observing the intricate drainage networks that defined Corson County ranching country.