2015 Map of North of Shirley Creek

About this map

The Hamilton Co Kearny Co boundary line bisects this Western Kansas landscape, illustrating the rigid grid-based land management of the High Plains. The terrain is defined by wide ephemeral drainage systems such as James Draw in the northeast and Mattox Draw further south, which break the otherwise consistent section lines. A network of rural arteries, including Road W and Rd X, provides access to the agricultural parcels that dominate the region. This 2015 survey shows the area's ongoing reliance on this systematic road network, where routes like Co Rd Aa and Co Rd 6 facilitate movement across the remote county line. The sparse distribution of named natural features against the dense grid of the Public Land Survey System highlights the human imposition of order upon the subtle topography of the Kansas prairie.