1954 Map of Stuart NW

About this map

The boundary between Rock Co and Holt Co bisects this Nebraska landscape, where the agricultural life of the mid-1950s is defined by isolated family holdings and one-room schoolhouses. In the northern reaches of Stuart and Cleveland, the terrain is marked by the drainages of Otter Creek and Beaver Creek, along with the steep incision of Cedar Gulch. Rural education remains localized, evidenced by School No 249 and School No 172 situated far from the larger towns of the region. The map provides a look at established cattle operations like Muesch Ranch and Shald Ranch, which anchor the sparse settlement pattern. Numerous windmills are scattered across the townships, indicating the importance of groundwater for the survival of these high-plains ranches during the postwar era.