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2021 Map of Ord SE

Name: 2021 Topographic Map of Ord SE
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2021
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2021

About this map

The North Loup River valley dominates this portion of Valley and Greeley counties, serving as the central axis for both settlement and agriculture. The landscape is defined by an extensive irrigation network, including the Burwell-Sumter Canal and the Ord-North Loup Canal, which divert water to support the surrounding plains. These engineering works speak to the regional reliance on the river system for agricultural stability.

Settlement patterns are concentrated along the river and its tributaries, from the larger hubs of Ord and North Loup to smaller locales like Spelts, Sumter, and Olean. Away from the fertile river bottoms, the terrain rises into the dissected uplands of McDowell Canyon and the drainages of Mira Cr and Spring Cr. This map documents a modern snapshot of a classic Nebraska plains landscape where the intersection of water management and topography continues to dictate the local geography.