2015 Map of Seneca NW

About this map

The northern reaches of Potter County meet the borders of Walworth and Edmunds counties in this 2015 study of the South Dakota plains. The landscape is defined by its glacial depressions and ephemeral hydrology, most notably the Alkali Lake area in the north and the Fresh Pond (historical) basin to the south. These features, along with Alkali Flat (historical), suggest a terrain where water was once more permanent than the present-day prairie suggests. Settlement is sparse, characterized by the rigid mile-grid of the Public Land Survey System, with gravel roads like 151st ST and 323rd Ave providing the primary access through the townships. For local historians and genealogists, the placement of the Advent Cem and Spring Cem provides critical anchors for understanding the dispersal of early rural communities across these northern Great Plains townships.