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1901 Map of Elk Point

Name: 1901 Topographic Map of Elk Point
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1901
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1901

About this map

The confluence of the Missouri River, Big Sioux River, and Vermilion River defines this 1898 survey of the tri-state border region. At the turn of the century, the landscape is a grid of agricultural townships like Garfield and Big Springs, anchored by railroad commerce. The Chicago Milwaukee and St. Paul Ry. cuts a diagonal path through the river lowlands, connecting Vermilion and Elk Point to the Sioux City and Dakota Div. network.

Topographical interest is concentrated at Spirit Mound and the bluffs of Pleasant Valley, providing a sharp contrast to the flat floodplain. Genealogists will find numerous small settlements and post offices such as Dalesburg, Nora, and Spink, many of which served as local hubs before the consolidation of rural communities. The shifting course of the Missouri, documented here by the Missouri River Commission, illustrates the volatile nature of the border between South Dakota and Nebraska prior to modern channelization.