1966 Map of Lake Carl Blackwell

About this map

Lake McMurtry and Lake Carl Blackwell dominate this mid-century landscape on the border of Noble and Payne Counties. This 1966 survey, updated in the late 1970s, captures a transition in land use from industrial extraction to managed water resources and recreation. The South Lone Elm Oil Field occupies the northwest, marked by numerous drill holes and oil wells, while the southern reaches show the infrastructure of the Department of Agriculture Hydraulic Laboratory and a Sewage Disposal plant. Rural heritage is preserved in the location of the Shelton-Bethel Cemetery and Lanier Cemetery, tucked away from the major shoreline developments. The map also delineates specialized recreational or conservation zones like Walnut, Cherokee, and Eden along the multi-fingered inlets of the reservoirs, fed by North Stillwater Creek and Long Branch.