1973 Map of Portis NW

About this map

Crystal Plains defines the central landscape of this Smith County survey, where the prairie is dissected by a network of drainage systems. The convergence of the West Branch Twelvemile Creek and East Branch Twelvemile Creek in the southern portion of the map illustrates the local hydrology that shaped early settlement patterns. This agricultural region is dotted with several small community focal points, including the Crystal Plains Ch and multiple family or community burial grounds such as Custer Cem and Bell Cem. To the north, Monkey Run and West Oak Creek flow through the townships of Center and Blaine, while evidence of local industry appears in the form of several Quarry sites located near the creek bluffs. The grid of section lines and the distribution of farmsteads reveal a settled landscape established during the homesteading era and maintained through the late twentieth century.