2010 Map of Merino SW

About this map

The South Platte River cuts across the northwest corner of this Colorado landscape, defining a corridor of vital irrigation infrastructure in an otherwise arid expanse. Critical to the agricultural economy of Morgan County, the Lower Platte and Beaver Ditch parallels the river, providing the water necessary for farming in the high plains. A grid of section roads, such as County Rd 55 and County Rd P, organizes the territory south of the river, where the terrain is punctuated by drainage features like Camp Creek and the small basin of Emerson Lake. The map reveals a highly structured rural environment where the natural flow of the river is harnessed by man-made engineering to support the local homesteads and ranches connected by a dense network of county roads.