1952 Map of Marks Butte

About this map

Marks Butte stands as the primary landmark in this section of Sedgwick County, overlooking a landscape defined by isolated agricultural outposts and necessary water infrastructure. The terrain is dotted with dozens of Windmill sites, essential for sustaining life and livestock in this corner of the High Plains during the early 1950s. Settlement is sparse, anchored by the Price Ranch and the site of the Sunrise School (Aband), reflecting the consolidation of rural education as the era progressed. These survey details, compiled for the Department of the Interior's Missouri River Basin development program, capture a moment when traditional ranching relied on a high density of small-scale water improvements across the township lines of T. 10 N. and T. 9 N. in the northeastern corner of the state.