1957 Map of Fairburn SW

About this map

Cottonwood Creek and its many branching tributaries define this corner of Custer County during a period of transition for rural educational infrastructure. The landscape is characterized by the convergence of several major drainages, including Lame Johnny Creek and the South Fork French Creek, which carve through the varied topography. A significant information-gain insight is found in the status of the local educational system: by the late 1950s, the small country schools that once served this ranching country had been vacated. The map marks the locations of the South Fork Sch, Cottonwood Sch, and Hill View Sch, all noted as abandoned. These sites remain as vital coordinates for genealogists and local historians tracing the settlement patterns and community centers of the mid-twentieth century.