Loading map...

1985 Map of Elm River

Name: 1985 Topographic Map of Elm River
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1990
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1990

About this map

Sand Lake Reservoir dominates the eastern corridor of this 1980s landscape, serving as a focal point for the Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge along the winding course of the James River. The map captures a mid-century agricultural region at a time of established rural infrastructure, characterized by a series of distinct communal settlements including Spring Creek Colony, Long Lake Colony, and Plainview Colony No 2. These Hutterite colonies are interspersed among traditional prairie townships like Frederick and Hecla.

Transportation patterns are defined by the Burlington Northern and Chicago and North Western railroads, which linked grain elevators in towns like Ellendale and Columbia to wider markets. Water management is a critical theme across the plains, evidenced by the presence of Flowing Wells and the expansive Putney Slough, illustrating how the drainage of the Elm River and Maple River basins shaped the development of Brown and Dickey counties.