1951 Map of Rezac Lake

About this map

The county line between Hyde Co and Hand Co divides a sparsely populated prairie landscape in this 1951 survey, conducted for the Department of the Interior’s Missouri River Basin development program. The map documents a rural community supported by local institutions, including Weiss Sch, Eden Sch, and Ontario Sch, alongside the Bohemian Cem which marks the heritage of the area's early settlers. The terrain is characterized by alkaline basins and wetlands, most notably Rezac Lake and the drainage of Lost Creek. Land use is defined by townships such as Banner, Harrison, and Ontario, where the presence of a Windmill underscores the reliance on groundwater in this part of South Dakota. The survey, compiled from 1948 aerial photography and 1950 plane-table methods, provides a precise look at the section lines and unimproved roads that networked these remote farmsteads.