1949 Map of Irvine

About this map

The North Platte River winds through the southern reaches of this landscape, its path tracked by a network of irrigation ditches and pumping stations essential for ranching in the high plains. Surveyed as part of the Missouri River Basin development program, the map captures the transition from river bottomlands to the rising terrain of Chalk. The Chicago and Northwestern railroad corridor dictates the settlement pattern, connecting the small rail stops of Irvine and Foster with the outlying Miller area. Aviation and navigation markers, including Beacon 11A and the Douglas Municipal Airport, stand out as modern additions to a landscape otherwise defined by traditional water rights and wind-driven wells. Numerous Windmills dot the sections between Sand Creek and La Bonte Creek, illustrating the dispersed nature of homesteading and livestock operations in Converse County during the late 1940s.