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1972 Map of Murphy Table

Name: 1972 Topographic Map of Murphy Table
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1975
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1975

About this map

The South Loup River meanders across the northern reaches of this Custer County landscape, shadowed by the Union Pacific railroad line. Small prairie settlements like Finchville and Milldale serve as the primary hubs in an area defined by its distinct upland topography. The map detail highlights the dramatic flat-topped landforms known locally as tables, specifically Murphy Table and Stop Table, which rise above the surrounding drainages.

Evidence of the region's agricultural and social fabric is scattered throughout the valleys. The Sand Valley Cem sits near the head of Sand Valley, providing a specific point of interest for genealogists tracking early homesteading families. Numerous locations marked simply as Well and Spring indicate the vital importance of water management in the Rye Valley and across the arid tablelands during the early 1970s.