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1951 Map of Dewey

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Dewey
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1985
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1985

About this map

The Chicago Burlington and Quincy railroad corridor serves as the industrial spine of this borderland, where Wyoming meets South Dakota. In the early 1950s, the landscape around the settlement of Dewey was defined by its water resources and mineral extraction, noted by several artesian wells and the Lucky Strike Bentonite Mine. The rugged eastern portion of the map transitions into the Harney National Forest, featuring prominent landmarks like Twin Buttes and Sullivan Peak.

Evidence of the region's reliance on localized water sources is clear, with several springs, such as Babbitt Spring, specifically marked as polluted at the time of the survey. Small rail-side stops like Dakoming and Wyoming Hill provide insight into the rural transportation network that connected this remote corner of Weston and Niobrara Counties to the broader Missouri River Basin development programs of the mid-century.