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1989 Map of Mother Lake

Name: 1989 Topographic Map of Mother Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1989
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1989

About this map

The expansive Sandhills of Cherry County are defined here by a chain of water bodies and isolated livestock operations. Mother Lake serves as the central focal point of this hydrologic landscape, flanked by a series of smaller ponds including Goose Lake and the North Twin Lake and South Twin Lake pair. The topography consists of the characteristic undulating dunes of western Nebraska, where the only signs of permanent habitation are the scattered cattle ranches that anchor the local economy.

Evidence of multi-generational land use appears in the family-named settlements such as W Adam Ranch, B Adam Ranch, and the Diamond Bar Ranch. These sites, connected by a network of unimproved trails and ranch roads, illustrate the specialized adaptation to the region's unique geography in the late twentieth century. Other notable landmarks including Big Buck Lake and Slim Jim Lake further underscore the importance of these wetlands in an otherwise semi-arid cattle country.