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1937 Map of Oahe

Name: 1937 Topographic Map of Oahe
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1950
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1950

About this map

The Missouri River forms a wide, sweeping boundary across this Central South Dakota landscape, defining the fertile land of Peoria Bottom and the elevated Peoria Flats. This mid-century survey, based on data collected in 1934, illustrates a cattle-ranching economy organized around draws and ridges, featuring family holdings such as the Rhodes Ranch, Anderson Ranch, and Madison Ranch. Local education is supported by isolated rural schoolhouses, including Riverview Sch and Willow Creek Butte Sch, positioned to serve the scattered homesteads.

In the southern portion of the map, the Chicago and Northwestern railroad follows the course of the Bad River, connecting the settlement of Iverson to the wider region. The terrain is marked by numerous dry draws like Government Draw and Lacy Draw that feed into Willow Creek and the river system. This map captures the area before the significant hydrological changes brought by later dam projects, preserving the original relationship between the river islands like Echo Island and the adjacent river bottoms.