1981 Map of Cottonwood Lake

About this map

Cottonwood Lake dominates this prairie landscape, serving as the centerpiece for the National Waterfowl Production Area which occupies much of its shoreline. This 1981 edition, based on earlier surveys and photogrammetric methods from the 1970s, captures a transition in the rural environment of northwestern North Dakota. The area is divided between the civil townships of Powers and Cottonwood, where the small settlement of Townhall stands as a local administrative marker. The land is dotted with countless small sloughs and wetlands characteristic of the drift prairie, including Powers Lake at the northern edge and White Lake to the southeast. Genealogists and local historians will find the Lunds Valley Cem and the landmark Vale provide specific anchor points for family research in this sparsely populated agricultural region.