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1987 Map of White Willow Lake

Name: 1987 Topographic Map of White Willow Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1987
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1987

About this map

White Willow Lake lies at the heart of this Sandhills landscape in Cherry County, where the topography is defined by the unique hydrology of Nebraska's perched water tables. The map documents a sparse ranching environment in the late 1980s, anchored by established family operations like the Pullman Ranch in the north and the Phipps Ranch near the southern border. This region is characterized by an absence of paved thoroughfares, with navigation relying entirely on a network of 4wd trails that snake between the dunes and depressions.

Water is the dominant feature of this interior basin, appearing as a series of semi-permanent lakes and marshes including Little Alkali Lake, Jack Rabbit Lake, and Red Willow Lake. These bodies of water, along with the headwaters of Calf Creek, provide the essential resources for the cattle industry that has shaped this territory for generations. The isolation of labels like Speckel-Meir Lake and Collier Lake underscores the vast, quiet character of the Nebraska high plains.