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1953 Map of Rapid City West

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Rapid City West
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1978
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1978

About this map

Rapid City and its western fringe are captured here in a period of significant mid-century expansion into the foothills. The map reveals the institutional and civic landscape of the era, from the grounds of Camp Rapid to the Sioux Sanitarium and Bennett Clarkson Hospital. Education is well-represented by a network of rural and suburban schoolhouses including Doty Sch, Winther Sch, and Whispering Pine Sch. This survey highlights the transition from the concentrated urban core near the Chicago and North Western railroad to the recreation-oriented outskirts.

Outdoor landmarks such as Canyon Lake, the Meadowbrook Golf Course, and Wildcat Cave show the area's integration with its natural surroundings. In the north, Schaeferville and the Lien Airfield mark early residential and aviation developments. The intricate drainage of Cleghorn Canyon, Deadman Gulch, and Dark Canyon Creek illustrates the complex terrain that dictated the layout of western Pennington County as it developed after the war.