1967 Map of Elkton

About this map

The borderlands of South Dakota and Minnesota are captured here in the late 1960s, defined by a rigid grid of section lines and the converging paths of several major railroads. In the northwest, the town of Elkton serves as a hub where the C & N W and the Chicago and North Western lines intersect. These rail corridors dictated the growth of small settlements like Ward, located further south along the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific tracks. The landscape is etched with meandering waterways including Spring Creek and Medary Creek, which cut across the agricultural geometry. Genealogists will find the locations of St Marys Cem and Trinity Cem valuable for local research. The prevalence of numerous Gravel Pits scattered near the rail lines suggests a local economy tied to both the extraction of materials and the transport infrastructure required to move them across state lines.