1983 Map of Opal East SE

About this map

Beaver Creek and its complex drainage network define the topography of this Meade County landscape as it appeared in the early 1980s. The map illustrates a rural environment characterized by small, isolated settlements and crossing points such as Welt, Mole, and Corner. The presence of several named waterways, including the East Branch Beaver Creek, Sulphur Creek, and the headwaters of Cherry Cr, highlights the importance of seasonal water management in this high plains region. Small Dam structures scattered along these drainages suggest a landscape engineered for ranching and livestock. For the local historian, the map identifies specific locations like Repocci and Middle Creek that provide markers of late-20th-century land use. This provisional survey captures the transition between the rolling uplands and the creek bottoms that have shaped the settlement patterns of western South Dakota.