2021 Map of Irwin SE

About this map

The Niobrara River carves a deeply sinuous path through the southern half of this landscape, its tight oxbows and dramatic meanders defining the local topography. This portion of the Nebraska Sandhills shows a stark contrast between the river's riparian corridor and the expansive Lavaca Flats to the southwest. In the northern reaches, the drainage of Leander Creek feeds into Coffey Lake, illustrating the subtle hydrology of this prairie region. The map captures a largely open, rural territory where the natural water systems dictated the layout of early ranching and land use, preserved here in great detail by the U.S. Geological Survey.