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1942 Map of Lake McBride

Name: 1942 Topographic Map of Lake McBride
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1942
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1942

About this map

Scott County State Park serves as the focal point of this Western Kansas landscape, centering on the waters of Lake McBride and the archaeologically significant El Quartelejo Pueblo Ruins Monument. The terrain is defined by a dramatic network of canyons and bluffs carved into the High Plains, including Suicide Bluffs and the narrow ridge known as Devils Backbone. These natural features provided shelter and resources for early inhabitants and later settlers, evidenced by the scattered rural education centers like Glendale Sch and Prairie View Sch.

Infrastructure in the early 1940s reflects a transition from early pioneer routes to managed recreation and water conservation, shown by an Old Grade Railroad and the presence of Christy Dam at Christy Lake. The map reveals how the local drainage systems of Ladder Creek and Chalk Creek dictate the settlement pattern, with landmarks like the Old Bride Monument standing alongside deep incisions in the earth such as Battle Canyon and Timber Canyon.