1952 Map of Sargent SW

About this map

Antelope Valley and Somerford Valley slice through the elevated plains of Custer County, defining a landscape of traditional Nebraska agricultural townships. The map documents a rural infrastructure in transition during the early 1950s, recording several local schoolhouses that served these dispersed farming communities. While the Somerford Sch, Coburg Sch, and Elton Sch remained landmarks of their respective districts, the Antelope Sch (Abandoned) serves as a marker of the shifting population and consolidation common in the post-war era. Across Lillian, Douglas Grove, and Garfield townships, the placement of windmills and the orientation of drainages like Wagner Creek and Boggs illustrate the vital relationship between the topography of the Table and the water sources required for homesteading in this part of the Missouri River Basin.