2013 Map of North Branch

About this map

Troublesome Cr and Lone Grove Cr carve through this section of Guthrie County, defining a landscape primarily shaped by modern agriculture and scattered homesteads. The small settlements of North Branch and Nelson sit at the crossroads of the region's section-line road network, providing a look at rural life in the early 21st century. To the north, Van Meter Feedyard reflects the local cattle industry, while Bear Grove sits near the eastern edge of the quadrangle. The map captures the subtle drainage patterns of the Iowa countryside, where Seely Cr, Frost Cr, and Mason Cr thread between the gravel roads and tilled fields. This layout reveals the persistent grid of the original land surveys, even as larger agricultural operations like the feedyard adapt to modern industrial scales.