1953 Map of South Butte

About this map

Pumpkin Buttes dominate the western horizon of this Campbell County landscape, where the high plains of northeastern Wyoming meet the headwaters of the Belle Fourche River. Surveyed in the early 1950s, the map reveals a remote ranching economy defined by isolated family operations such as the Hardin Ranch and Sievers Ranch. The presence of the Cactus School near Fourmile Creek suggests a once-active community hub for the dispersed homesteads of the era. Drainages like All Night Creek and North Cottonwood Creek carve through the terrain between prominent landmarks like South Butte and Indian Butte. This 1953 survey, published in cooperation with the Atomic Energy Commission, captures the region at a time when traditional cattle ranching remained the primary footprint upon the land.