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1955 Map of Mac Farlane Reservoir

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Mac Farlane Reservoir
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1967
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1967

About this map

The Illinois River corridor in Jackson County defines a landscape of high-altitude ranching and water management. Scattered family homesteads including the Allard Ranch, Anderson Ranch, and Curtis Ranch appear throughout the valley, illustrating the isolated nature of North Park cattle ranching in the mid-1950s. The presence of the Larand School (Abandoned) serves as a poignant marker of a shifting rural population.

Water infrastructure is central to the area's development, anchored by the Mac Farlane Reservoir and a network of smaller impoundments like Addison Reservoir and Hap Reservoir. These sources, fed by Soap Creek and Mac Farlane Creek, supported the ranching economy while the Union Pacific railroad tracks provided a vital transportation link along the base of Peterson Ridge. The map details a complex system of ditches and laterals that transformed this terrain for agricultural use.