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1960 Map of Wall SE

Name: 1960 Topographic Map of Wall SE
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1961
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1961

About this map

Badlands National Monument dominates the southern landscape of this 1960 survey, where the eroded formations of the Wall transition into the high plains. The boundary between Pennington and Jackson counties bisects the terrain, illustrating the sparse settlement patterns of the era. Evidence of community life is found along the creek valleys, specifically the Big Foot Sch and Big Foot Ch, which served the local ranching families near the northern edge of the monument.

Transportation through this difficult geography relied on natural breaches in the escarpment, such as Big Foot Pass and Norbeck Pass. Above the breaks, the land levels out toward Flat Butte, while the lower elevations are marked by the drainage of Kimball Creek and Big Foot Creek. This map captures the region as part of the Department of the Interior program for the development of the Missouri River Basin, documenting a period when these prairie outposts remained vital social anchors.