1974 Map of Urne

About this map

Upper Mississippi River Wild Life and Fish Refuge dominates the southwestern corner of this Buffalo County landscape, where the Burlington Northern railroad tracks skirt the riverbanks near Nelson. The terrain is defined by a dense network of coulees and valleys, including Cascade Valley and Norwegian Valley, which channeled early settlement and transportation. These valleys host several small community centers and burial grounds vital for genealogical research, such as Lyster Ch and the Church Valley Cem in Little Church Valley. Significant agricultural and industrial activity is evidenced by numerous quarries and the upland farm tracts marked by fine fence lines. Higher elevations like Rattlesnake Bluff overlook the convergence of Trout Creek and Iron Creek, illustrating the complex drainage patterns that shaped this region's rural development in the mid-1970s.