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1951 Map of Sterling South

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Sterling South
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1952
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1952

About this map

The South Platte River carves a fertile corridor through the high plains of Logan County, supporting a complex network of irrigation that defines the local landscape. In the early 1950s, Sterling stands as a busy regional hub, marked by a dense civic core featuring the courthouse, library, and Sugar Factory. This industrial presence highlights the area's agricultural reliance on the river and its many diversions, such as the Sterling No 1 Ditch and Batten Ditch. The map illustrates the town’s growth south toward Riverside Cemetery and along the Union Pacific tracks.

Beyond the town limits, the terrain transitions into the undulating sandy hills of Jones Flat, where scattered windmills and isolated schools like Columbine Sch serve a sparse ranching community. The Old Pole Road snakes across this drier ground, contrasting with the river-bound greenery of Hadfield Island. This survey captures a moment of established rural infrastructure, from the Overland Trail Park and Museum to the gravel pits and numerous small lake basins like Schumann Lake.