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1951 Map of Mason City SE

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Mason City SE
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1953
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1953

About this map

The South Loup River winds through the southern reaches of this Nebraska landscape, defining the transition between Harrison and Sartoria townships. This 1951 field-checked survey reveals a rural community supported by a dense network of country schoolhouses, including Tufford Sch, Black Hill Basin Sch, Pilot Sch, and Black Hill Creek Sch. These institutions, alongside the Salem Ch and Elk Creek Cem, anchor the social geography of the era, reflecting a period when small, localized school districts were still the standard for the area's farming families.

Waterways like Elk Creek and Black Hill Creek cut through the terrain, leading toward the river valley where the land flattens for cultivation. The map captures the boundary line between Custer and Buffalo counties, illustrating how early surveying divisions shaped the placement of roads and farmsteads. Scattered landmarks like the Windmill and numerous small drainages such as Otter Creek further detail the working landscape of mid-century central Nebraska.