Loading map...

1894 Map of Hermosa

Name: 1894 Topographic Map of Hermosa
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1898
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1898

About this map

Mining and early Black Hills settlements dominate this late-nineteenth-century survey of the rugged territory spanning the border between Pennington and Custer counties. The map documents a critical era of extraction, centering on the Etta Mine near Keystone, and smaller outposts like Rockerville, Hayward, and Sheridan. These camps were the lifeblood of the local economy before the advent of modern tourism, established along the steep drainages of Battle Creek and Spring Creek.

Transport is defined by the Missouri River and Northwestern Railroad, which snakes through the foothills toward Hermosa and Fairburn. To the southwest, the inclusion of Wind Cave and the prominent Sheep Mtn. 6050 highlights the transition from industrial mining zones to the natural landmarks of the southern Hills. The topography descends sharply toward the South Fork of Cheyenne River, illustrating the complex drainage network that defined early ranching and travel routes.