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2013 Map of Morton NW

Name: 2013 Topographic Map of Morton NW
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2013
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2013

About this map

Agricultural drainage and the geometric precision of the Jeffersonian grid define this Renville County landscape in the early 21st century. The map reveals an intricate network of man-made waterways designed to manage the prairie hydrology, including the extensive County Ditch Number One Hundred Twentyfour, County Ditch Number One Hundred Fortyfour, and Ditch Number Eightyfive-a. These engineered channels run parallel to or intersect a strictly regulated road system, where thoroughfares like 360th St and 740th Ave facilitate the movement of modern industrial farming.

Evidence of the region's aviation and transit history is anchored by Lothert's Farm Strip Airport, a private landing field that underscores the connection between the land and the air in rural Minnesota. Along the western edge, the E Fork Beaver Cr provides one of the few natural riparian deviations from the surrounding grid, running near Us-71. This survey illustrates the complete transformation of the prairie into a highly organized agricultural production zone.