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1901 Map of Hermosa

Name: 1901 Topographic Map of Hermosa
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1948
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1948

About this map

Black Hills National Forest dominates the high ground of this turn-of-the-century survey, a landscape defined by an active mining economy and the early development of Wind Cave National Park. The mining district around Keystone and Rockerville is particularly dense with historic industrial sites, including the Lucky Cuss Quartz Mine, Etta Mine, and an Old Smelter. These labels reflect the extraction boom that drew thousands to the Black Hills during the late 19th century.

Along the eastern plains, the Chicago and Northwestern railroad connects the pioneer settlements of Hermosa, Fairburn, and Buffalo Gap. Topography and local lore are intertwined at sites like Robbers Roost and Mt Rushmore, the latter noted decades before its famous carving began. From the cattle operations at ZX Ranch to the early tourism at Wind Cave, the map provides a look at a transitional era where the frontier was rapidly professionalizing through institutional land management.