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1899 Map of Lexington

Name: 1899 Topographic Map of Lexington
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1929
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1929

About this map

The Platte River valley dominates this late nineteenth-century landscape, serving as the primary corridor for settlement and transportation. Along its northern banks, the Union Pacific R. R. Main Line connects a string of growing prairie towns including Cozad, Lexington, and Overton. In the southern portion of the map, the Burlington and Missouri River R. R. (Cheyenne Line) supports the development of Elwood and Smithfield.

This survey reveals a region in transition, where the vast, flat river bottom gives way to the broken drainage systems of Plum Creek and Buffalo Creek. The intricate network of township and section lines across various precincts such as Ringgold and Williamsburg illustrates the systematic organization of Dawson and Gosper counties. Key crossings like the Lexington Bridge and Overton Bridge provide vital links between the rural uplands and the rail-oriented valley centers.