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2021 Map of Emblem

Name: 2021 Topographic Map of Emblem
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2021
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2021

About this map

The small community of Emblem serves as the focal point of this arid landscape in Big Horn County, where human settlement is closely tied to the management of scarce water resources. The terrain is defined by dramatic erosional features like Emblem Draw, Sand Draw, and Foster Gulch, which cut through the high plains. A sophisticated network of irrigation, including the Dry Cr Lateral Bench Canal and N lateral Bench Canal, directs water from local sources to support agricultural life on the elevated Emblem Bench.

Hydrological management is further evidenced by the Sore Finger Reservoir in the northern portion of the quadrangle. These man-made improvements contrast with the natural ephemeral flows of Horse Cr and Dry Cr, illustrating the 21st-century efforts to maintain productivity in the Wyoming desert. The grid of county roads, such as Co RD 10 and Co RD 9, marks the systematic division of the land for ranching and homesteading.