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1953 Map of Fort Meade

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Fort Meade
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1976
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1976

About this map

Bear Butte dominates the northeastern horizon of this Meade County landscape, a geological laccolith rising sharply above the surrounding plains. To its south, the Fort Meade installation serves as a central hub of activity, featuring the Veterans Hospital and a large Firing Range within the Fort Meade Military Reservation. The town of Sturgis is visible along the western edge, connected by the Chicago and North Western railroad which snakes through the valley of Bear Butte Creek.

The map reveals a well-established rural infrastructure of the mid-20th century, including the Hamm Sch, Spring Creek Sch, and Carpenter Sch distributed across the prairie. Conservation efforts are anchored by the Bear Butte National Wildlife Refuge, surrounding the waters of Bear Butte Lake. From the Fort Meade Cem to the Sturgis Airport along Alkali Road, the sheet documents the transition from a 19th-century frontier outpost to a modern regional center.