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1968 Map of Liberal NW

Name: 1968 Topographic Map of Liberal NW
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1970
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1970

About this map

The Cimarron River winds through the northern portion of this Seward County landscape, shaping a corridor of depressions and gravel deposits in an otherwise steady expanse of the High Plains. By the late 1960s, the region's economy was clearly defined by extensive energy extraction, with dozens of Gas Wells and Oil Wells peppered across the sections. These industrial sites are linked by a network of section-line roads and intermittent Jeep Trails that cross the arid terrain.

Evidence of local resource management is found in the numerous Gravel Pits concentrated near the riverbank, essential for maintaining the local infrastructure. The map also meticulously records elevation benchmarks such as BM 2811 and BM 2841, alongside red dashed lines that indicate specific fence and field boundaries visible from aerial photography. This detailed documentation of the Liberal vicinity provides a clear record of land use and the density of the petroleum industry during a period of significant Kansas energy production.