2017 Map of Shell Creek Bay

About this map

Lake Sakakawea and its sprawling inlets dominate this North Dakota landscape, where the Missouri River's impoundment created a complex shoreline of peninsulas and sheltered waters. The Van Hook Arm and Shell Creek Bay reach deep into the rolling prairie, fundamentally altering the geography of Mountrail and McLean counties. On the high ground northwest of the bay, the Van Hook Cem remains as a poignant link to the community displaced by the rising waters, situated near the modern road network of 39th St NW and 80th Ave. The drainage patterns of Shell Cr and the E Fork Shell Cr demonstrate how the natural prairie coulees have been transformed into aquatic finger-bays. This topographical study captures the intersection of rural agriculture and large-scale water management, showing the section lines of t152n r91w and the local transit routes like McLean City Rd that still define property and travel in the region.