1950 Map of Noonan

About this map

Blooming Valley and the Coalfield terrain characterize this North Dakota landscape along the international border in Divide County. This 1950 era survey captures the intensive rural development of the northern plains, where township lines like Fillmore, Long Creek, and Mentor are punctuated by a dense network of country schoolhouses, including Bluffton Sch No 4, Highland Sch No 1, and McCullough Sch No 2. The regional economy is anchored by the Great Northern and Minneapolis Sault Ste Marie railroads, which served early 20th-century settlements like Noonan, Kermit, and Paulson. A Strip Mine south of Noonan points to the area's subterranean resources, while centers of local life like the Town Hall and Blooming Prairie Ch served the dispersed farmstead population during this period of peak agricultural activity.