1951 Map of Mason City

About this map

Mason City serves as the primary rail hub on this mid-century Custer County survey, situated where the Burlington Northern line follows the valley of Mud Creek. The map documents a rural Nebraska landscape defined by its townships and water-carved terrain, including the distinctive Happy Hollow and Lazy Hollow. Local education and community life are anchored by the Algernon Sch and Mt Pleasant Sch, while a small Clay Pit suggests localized industrial activity near the railroad. The presence of a Cem and the transition from the settlement of Algernon to the broader rural precincts of Ansley and Elk Creek provide essential markers for genealogical research. Revisions from the 1970s layered onto the 1951 field check illustrate the persistence of these agrarian patterns and the critical role of the rail corridor in connecting these prairie communities.