1957 Map of Fairburn

About this map

Fairburn sits as the central settlement in this 1957 survey, positioned where the Chicago and North Western railroad meets the meandering path of French Creek. The landscape is defined by the drainage patterns of these watercourses, including the seasonal Dry Creek to the north and the South Fork French Creek in the southwest. For genealogists, the Fairburn Cem is clearly marked just east of the main townsite. The involvement of the United States Atomic Energy Commission in the margin hints at the strategic importance of the Black Hills region during this period of the Cold War, even as the map documents a quiet rural landscape of section lines and stream beds.