2012 Map of Dog Ear Lake

About this map

Dog Ear Lake provides a primary focal point in this portion of Tripp County, South Dakota. The landscape is defined by the section-line road grid, where numeric routes like 309th Ave and 292nd St intersect to form the agrarian infrastructure of the High Plains. This geometric precision of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries illustrates how the Great Plains were systematically organized for agriculture and settlement. Aside from the lake, the natural drainage of Willow Cr meanders across the southern and western portions of the sheet, providing a sharp contrast to the rigid straight lines of the surrounding transportation network. This map captures the rural character of the region, showing the scattered points of activity connected by a persistent network of unpaved and local roads through the prairie.