2015 Map of Lower Brule NW

About this map

The Big Bend of the Missouri dominates this landscape, where the Missouri River carves a dramatic, nearly circular loop into the South Dakota plains. By 2015, the character of this waterway had been permanently altered by the Big Bend Dam, which created Lake Sharpe, a reservoir whose waters fill the basin south of the peninsula. The interior of the bend remains largely undeveloped, defined by topographical contours rising from the riverbank and a grid of rural section lines. Access to this unique geographic feature is provided by Westbend Rd and Valley Rd, leading toward W Bend Park on the western shore. Smaller drainages like Arrowhead Spring Cr and Chaney Rush Cr cut through the northern hills, while the borders of Hughes, Hyde, and Lyman counties converge within the river's path.