1956 Map of Spink Colony

About this map

The James River meanders through the landscape of northeastern South Dakota in the mid-1950s, anchoring a rural environment defined by small-scale townships like Cornwall, Belmont, and Lincoln. This survey, completed as part of the Department of the Interior's Missouri River Basin development program, reveals a transition in rural educational infrastructure. While the Cornwall Sch remains active, both the Lincoln Sch (Abandoned) and Saugstad Sch (Abandoned) are noted as abandoned, signaling a shift in local population patterns. Near the Hutterite settlement of Spink Colony, the river valley is punctuated by several flowing wells and the waters of Lake Dudley. Genealogists will find particular value in the location of the Hillestad Cem and the Rockwood Town Hall, which served as the civic heart for the surrounding farmsteads.