1985 Map of Grand Island

About this map

Grand Island and Hastings anchor this mid-1980s portrait of the Platte River valley, where the landscape is defined by the braided channels of the Platte River and its intricate distributaries like the North Channel Platte River and Mormon Island River. The map reveals a region deeply tied to mid-century industrial and military history, dominated by the massive footprints of the Cornhusker Ordnance Plant north of Alda and the US Ammunition Depot (Abandoned) east of Hastings. These facilities, alongside the Army National Guard Training Site, underscore the area's strategic importance during and after the war years. Transportation patterns are clearly etched by the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern railroads, which parallel the river's course and link smaller agricultural settlements such as Juniata, Kenesaw, and Doniphan.