1983 Map of Owen Lake

About this map

Owen Lake and the winding course of Thunder Butte Creek define this rural South Dakota landscape in the early 1980s. The map illustrates a high-plains environment organized around large land tracts such as Bison Rainbow, Vickers, Lone Tree, and Hallada. This provisional survey provides a clear view of the water management and recreation infrastructure of the time, including a Spillway and Boat Ramp at the lake. The terrain is marked by intermittent drainages like Smith Creek and Lone Tree Creek, while several Well sites and a Gravel Pit suggest the local economic activity and resource extraction necessary for maintaining this vast rangeland. The lack of dense settlement emphasizes the open, agricultural character of Perkins County during this period.