1951 Map of Vale SE

About this map

The Belle Fourche River snakes through the northeastern corner of this 1951 survey, defining a landscape of agricultural infrastructure and rural schoolhouses across Meade and Butte counties. A complex system of irrigation, including the South Canal, Meade Lateral, and Richards Lateral, branches across the terrain to support the homesteads of the Vale area. This era represents a period of consolidation in rural education, evidenced by several active institutions like Empire Sch and Follette Sch alongside sites already marked as Ninemile Sch (Abandoned) and South Highland Sch (Abandoned). The Chicago and North Western railroad provides the primary industrial link in the north, while the southern reaches rise toward the prominent landmark of Buzzards Peak in the high ground known as Highland.