1954 Map of Sturgis

About this map

Sturgis serves as the focal point of this mid-century survey, positioned at the edge of the Black Hills National Forest. The town’s educational infrastructure is exceptionally well-documented, featuring the Williams Jr High Sch, Sturgis High Sch, and Erskine Sch within the city limits, while rural schoolhouses like Eden Sch and Boulder Park Sch serve the surrounding cattle and timber country. The Chicago and North Western railroad cuts a diagonal path through the terrain, passing near the prominent rise of Bear Butte and skirting the base of Sly Hill. The landscape transitions from the rugged elevations of Granite Peak and Oyster Mountain in the west to the alluvial valleys carved by Bear Butte Creek and Vanocker Creek. These drainages and the complex topography of Boulder Park reflect the transition from the Black Hills highlands to the plains of Meade County.