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1959 Map of Pratt

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Pratt
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

Dodge City and Pratt anchor this mid-century view of South Central Kansas, where the high plains meet the intricate drainage of the Arkansas River and its many tributaries. The landscape is defined by the robust infrastructure of the Great Plains economy, specifically the dense network of the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe and Chicago Rock Island and Pacific railroads that connect agricultural centers like St. John and Stafford.

Extensive fields of oil wells dot the northern counties, particularly in Stafford County and Reno County, illustrating the mid-century energy boom that supplemented the region's ranching and farming identity. To the south, the terrain becomes more broken as the headwaters of the Medicine Lodge River and Chikaskia River carve through the plains, offering a detailed look at the geographic transition toward the Cimarron River valley.