1960 Map of Spalding 2 SW

About this map

Bartlett and Caldwell precincts divide this rural landscape within Wheeler County, characterized by the expansive sandhills of the Nebraska interior. Surveyed as part of the Department of the Interior program for the development of the Missouri River Basin, the topography reveals a highly textured terrain of dunes and depressions where water is sparse. Small rural schoolhouses, including School No 20 and School No 24, are positioned along section lines, serving the isolated ranching and farming homesteads of the mid-century era. The drainage of Mud Creek provides the primary hydrological feature in the southern half of the map, carving a distinct path through the otherwise rolling contours. This survey captures a moment in time before many such rural school districts were consolidated, preserving the locations of these local educational centers.