2014 Map of Mertz Slough

About this map

Fairview Cem and Saint James Cem sit amidst a vast, undulating grid of section lines in this Sheridan County landscape. The terrain is defined by its glacial prairie potholes and seasonal water bodies, most notably the blue expanse of Jones Lake in the western portion of the quadrangle. This 2014 survey by the U.S. Geological Survey illustrates the rigid township and range organization that governs the Dakotas, where a network of gravel roads including 14th St NE and 15th Ave NE provides the primary access to isolated agricultural plots. The map records the persistence of small rural burial grounds as the primary landmarks in an area otherwise characterized by expansive fields and natural drainage basins.