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1962 Map of Lewis Ranch

Name: 1962 Topographic Map of Lewis Ranch
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1964
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1964

About this map

The high plains of Laramie County in the early 1960s are defined here by a sophisticated network of ranching infrastructure and seasonal water management. Along Horse Creek, an intricate system of irrigation channels including Carey Horse Creek Ditch No 9 and Carey Horse Creek Ditch No 5 snakes across the terrain to feed reservoirs like Carey Res No 1. These water rights were central to the operation of the Lewis Ranch and surrounding outposts such as Nimmo and Shelton.

The landscape is deeply etched by a series of numbered drainages, from Lewis Draw No 1 through Lewis Draw No 6, which channel runoff toward the creek. Evidence of mid-century communication and navigation technology is scattered across the rangeland, including a Windcharger, a Beacon, and an At&t Bm 6392 marker. The presence of a Gravel Pit and the Pumping Sta near Indian Hill suggests the industrial underpinnings required to maintain this remote ranching territory.