1974 Map of Russell Springs SE

About this map

The Smoky Hill River winds through the northern portion of this Logan County landscape, a vital watercourse in a region defined by its broad drainage basins and rural township divisions. Traces of 19th-century western migration and early transportation are etched into the terrain, most notably the Butterfield Overland Location Trail which parallels the river valley. The map documents the persistent marks of human industry and infrastructure, including an Old Railroad Grade and several local Gravel Pits. In the southern half of the quadrangle, Twin Butte Creek cuts through the townships of Paxton and Lees, illustrating the natural drainage patterns that guided the boundaries of these early Kansas land divisions. This 1974 survey captures the high plains character of the region just as modern photogrammetric mapping began to provide precise topographic detail of its landforms.