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1956 Map of Crooks Tower

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Crooks Tower
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1970
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1970

About this map

Crooks Tower rises as the central landmark of this mid-century survey, surrounded by the high-elevation terrain of the Black Hills National Forest. The landscape is defined by a dense network of gulches and draws that feed significant waterways, including the headwaters of Spearfish Creek in the north and the South Fork Rapid Creek to the south. Small clearings and landings like Stovehole Park and Wolf Park break the forested slopes, while scattered springs such as Lander Spring and Yellow Jacket Spring provide essential water sources in the high country.

Evidence of human habitation and land use is found at the McInerny Ranch and the site of Macs Camp, indicating the ranching and timber heritage of Lawrence and Pennington counties. The map follows the boundary line between Lawrence and Pennington counties, tracing the complex drainage patterns of Rhodes Fork and Cold Creek before they descend into the lower valleys. This survey captures a moment when these remote Forest Service lands were managed through a system of unimproved dirt roads and isolated forest outposts.