1977 Map of Owl Butte SE

About this map

South Sulphur Creek and Elm Creek wind through the open rangeland of Butte County in the late 1970s. The landscape is characterized by its drainage patterns and the established township boundaries of Union. This area reflects the mid-century agricultural footprint of Western South Dakota, where water sources dictated the placement of small rural hubs. The settlement of Acme appears as a quiet focal point in this sparsely populated region, showing the infrastructure of a ranching community during this period of the twentieth century. Detailed topographic work from aerial photography taken in 1972 reveals the subtle contours of the plains and the essential network of light-duty roads that connected these remote prairie locales.