1951 Map of Rockyford SW

About this map

The White River winds through the northern portion of this 1951 survey, carving a path through the distinct topography of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. This map, produced as part of the Department of the Interior program for the development of the Missouri River Basin, documents the sparse landscape of Oglala Lakota County during the early post-war era. The terrain is dominated by the Pine Ridge formation, where complex contour lines reveal a heavily eroded environment of ridges and draws. Evidence of local settlement is limited to isolated structures and a single Cem near the river, while the drainage of West Horse Creek provides a secondary focal point in the northwest. The map captures a moment of transition when light-duty and unimproved dirt roads were the primary means of navigating this expansive reservation territory.