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1950 Map of Sheep Mountain Table

Name: 1950 Topographic Map of Sheep Mountain Table
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1975
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1975

About this map

Sheep Mountain Table rises as a prominent landform within this 1950 field survey, marking a stark division in the landscape of western South Dakota. The map captures the meeting of three major administrative boundaries: the Badlands National Monument, the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, and the border between Pennington and Shannon Counties. This intersection creates a complex patchwork of land use and jurisdiction in a region defined by its dramatic erosion patterns.

Watercourses like Cain Creek and Wind Creek cut through the terrain, originating from elevated plateaus such as Hart Table and draining toward the lower reservation lands. The detailed topography highlights the isolation of features like Cedar Butte, surrounded by the intricate drainage networks of North Cottonwood Creek and Spring Creek. This record documents the physical and political geography of the area before modern expansions, serving as a primary reference for the historical boundaries of the Oglala Sioux land and the national monument.