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1896 Map of Patrick

Name: 1896 Topographic Map of Patrick
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1939
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1939

About this map

Torrington and the cattle ranches of the high plains define this late nineteenth-century survey of the Wyoming-Nebraska borderlands. The North Platte River serves as the primary lifeblood of the region, flanked by early infrastructure like the Chicago Burlington and Quincy (Casper Branch) railroad. The landscape is dotted with named homesteads and operations such as Rock Ranch, P. F. Ranch, and Sturdivants Ranch, reflecting the era of open-range cattle ranching and early settlement.

Beyond the river valley, the terrain transitions into the breaks of Pine Ridge and the Goshen Hole depression. Watercourses such as Rawhide Creek and Muskrat Creek carve through the plains, leading toward prominent landmarks like Spoon Butte. This map captures a specific moment when the railroad was beginning to transform the logistics of the frontier, yet the dominance of individual ranching outfits remained the primary social and economic structure of the territory.