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1979 Map of Eagle

Name: 1979 Topographic Map of Eagle
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1980
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1980

About this map

The high prairie of Brule County is defined here by the prominent Bijou Hills and the surrounding agricultural townships of Richland, Highland, and Pleasant Grove. During this era of the late 1970s, the landscape is a grid of section lines and small rural hubs like the settlement of Eagle, which sits near the Eagle Cem and the Maresh Sch. The presence of the Bohemian Cem and Blessed Trinity Ch further north points to the ethnic and religious patterns of the early homesteading families who settled this corner of South Dakota.

Water and wildlife management are central to the eastern portion of the map, dominated by the Chain Lakes State Public Shooting Area and the National Waterfowl Production Area. These conservation zones surround Smith Lake, while the southern reaches of the quadrangle are drained by the winding course of Snake Cr. The survey provides a clear look at the rural infrastructure of the time, from isolated wells to the network of light-duty roads connecting these upland farms.