2014 Map of Tar Valley SW

About this map

The North Platte River carves a broad valley across this section of the Nebraska Panhandle, a landscape defined by its vital water management systems and the transition between upland plateaus and fertile bottomlands. Parallel irrigation works, including the Lisco Canal and Belmont Canal, trace the contours of the river valley, illustrating the engineering required to sustain agriculture in this high-plains environment. The map records the boundary between Morrill and Garden Counties, where the local transportation network transitions from the paved corridor of Us-26 to a systematic grid of section-line roads like Road 86 and Road 143. These gravel paths provide access to the vast ranchlands and rural homesteads that dot the sandhills and river breaks north of the valley floor.