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1985 Map of Spring Valley

Name: 1985 Topographic Map of Spring Valley
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1986
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1986

About this map

Isolated cattle ranches and complex dune topography define this portion of the Nebraska Sandhills in the mid-1980s. The landscape is characterized by a series of northwest-to-southeast trending depressions, including Handlin Valley, Spring Valley, and Rothwell Valley. These low-lying areas often contain critical water sources for local ranching operations, such as Spring Valley Lake and numerous sites marked as Flowing Well.

Settlement is sparse, represented by established family holdings like Egan Ranch, Wright Ranch, and Farrar Ranch. The map reveals a specialized infrastructure for this cattle-rearing environment, where narrow 4wd tracks and a single Powerline serve as the primary links between remote homesteads and the larger region. The presence of a dry Lakebed near Haney illustrates the variable hydrology of this prairie ecosystem.