Loading map...

1950 Map of Imlay

Name: 1950 Topographic Map of Imlay
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1972
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1972

About this map

The small railroad siding of Imlay serves as a lone point of habitation at the northern edge of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. This 1950 survey detail illustrates the stark geography where the Reservation Boundary divides the landscape of Shannon and Pennington counties. Running east-to-west, the Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific railroad tracks follow the natural contours north of the reservation, providing a vital transport link through this isolated territory.

South of the tracks, the terrain is defined by a series of drainage systems including Cain Creek, Big Hollow Creek, and Wind Hollow Creek. These watercourses carve through the sediment, eventually reaching toward the northern reaches of the Badlands National Monument. The map provides a precise look at the 1950s infrastructure, showing the relationship between the rail line and the federal and tribal land designations.