1951 Map of Virginia

About this map

Cheyenne River Indian Reservation lands dominate this mid-century landscape in Dewey County, where the winding course of Virginia Creek and Left Hand Creek cut through the undulating prairie. The area’s infrastructure is defined by the Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific railroad, which follows the natural corridor of the creek beds. This 1951 field-checked survey, produced as part of the Department of the Interior's Missouri River Basin development program, shows the sparse but critical markers of the local economy, including a prominent Gravel Pit. The map reveals the relationship between the railway and the local drainage systems, providing a clear record of the territory before significant modern development altered the remote landscape of the Dakotas.