2014 Map of Shell Lake

About this map

Shell Lake and its surrounding wetlands define this portion of North Dakota's prairie pothole region within Mountrail County. The landscape is characterized by a high density of small basins and sloughs, typical of the glaciated plains, where Shell Creek (also labeled Shell Cr) meanders through the western half of the quadrangle. The 2014 terrain is structured by a rigorous township-and-range road grid, including CR 3137 and numbered routes like 57th St NW and 68th Ave NW. This geometry highlights the contrast between the systematic agricultural division of the land and the irregular, organic distribution of the area's many water bodies. This USGS topo is an essential resource for understanding the contemporary drainage patterns and rural infrastructure of the northern plains.