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1950 Map of Flats

Name: 1950 Topographic Map of Flats
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1950
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1950

About this map

Isolated ranches and small rural schools define the character of this mid-century Sandhills landscape, mapped as part of a post-war effort for the development of the Missouri River Basin. The settlement at Flats and the nearby Lena serve as anchors for a vast ranching network that includes the Bassett Ranch, J Daly Ranch, and Diamond Bar Ranch. The distribution of scattered education centers, such as Prairie Dale Sch and Center Valley Sch, alongside the Center Valley Ch, illustrates the infrastructure required to support a sparse, wide-ranging population across the undulating terrain.

Water is the vital pulse of this region, with numerous natural basins like Whitewater Lake, Swan Lake, and Stickney Lake dotting the valleys between distinctive landforms like Baldy Hill. The map meticulously tracks the series of valleys that guide travel and grazing, including Bassett Valley, Coyote Valley, and Sunnyside Valley. This survey captures the height of the traditional ranching era before modern consolidation changed the footprint of these historic western Nebraska homesteads.