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1955 Map of Dead Horse Flats

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Dead Horse Flats
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1976
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1976

About this map

Black Hills National Forest land defines this mid-century landscape on the border of Pennington and Custer counties. The terrain is characterized by a dense network of draws and canyons, including the winding Gillette Canyon and Dead Horse Canyon, which drain the elevated Dead Horse Flats. Scattered ranching outposts like Wilson Ranch and Pitts Ranch mark the sparse human presence in a territory where water sources were the primary landmarks.

Numerous named springs, such as North Antelope Spring, Townley Spring, and Buck Spring, provided vital points of interest for early cattlemen and foresters. Distinctive geological features like Yellow Butte and Surveyors Hill rise above the drainage systems of Wildcat Draw and Wolf Draw. The survey also notes subterranean features including Beartrap Cave and Igloo Cave, situated near the head of draws in the northeast portion of the quadrangle.