1953 Map of Fort Meade

About this map

Bear Butte dominates this Black Hills landscape, standing as a prominent landmark north of the Fort Meade Military Reservation. This 1950s era survey, later updated in the early 1970s, documents the transition of the historic cavalry post at Fort Meade into a modern Veterans Hospital complex. The surrounding terrain is marked by the Old Fort Meade Military Bdy and the Bear Butte National Wildlife Refuge, which surrounds Bear Butte Lake. Rural life is evidenced by the distribution of country schoolhouses, including Spring Creek Sch, Hamm Sch, and Carpenter Sch. Near the southwestern edge of the quadrangle, the city of Sturgis sits along the Chicago and North Western railroad line, while the Sturgis Airport serves the local aviation needs. The map captures a detailed hydrographic network including Spring Creek, Alkali Creek, and the curiously named Flowing Well to the southeast.