1953 Map of Hightower SW

About this map

The Laramie River and Dry Laramie River converge in this high-plains landscape of Platte County, Wyoming, as it appeared in the mid-20th century. The map illustrates a ranching and rural economy defined by sophisticated water management, with features like Mertz Ditch, Cramer Ditch, and the Mertz Res distributed across the terrain. Public lands are prominent on the western edge, marked by the Medicine Bow National Forest and its associated Forest Boundary, while the center of the map reveals localized industrial history at the Marble Quarry near Marble Quarry Creek. Evidence of changing community patterns is visible in the presence of the Wedemeyer School (Aban'd) and Slate Creek Sch (Aban'd), indicating shifts in local settlement and education by the time of the 1953 field check.