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2014 Map of Willow Lake

Name: 2014 Topographic Map of Willow Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2014
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2014

About this map

Willow Lake and a complex network of freshwater basins define this portion of the Nebraska Sandhills. This 2014 survey captures a landscape dominated by internal drainage and varied wetland ecosystems, where large bodies like Big Alkali Lake and Muleshoe Lake sit in the north, while North Marsh Lake and South Marsh Lake anchor the southeast. The geography is primarily shaped by these distinct water features, which served as essential landmarks for early cattle ranching and modern wildlife management in Cherry County.

Infrastructure is limited to the north-south corridor of Us-83, which bisects the eastern half of the map, and Refuge RD providing access to the interior. The presence of School Lake suggests historic land allocations common in the Great Plains, while other names like McKeel Lake, Hay Lake, and Red Deer Lake point to local families and the natural history of the region. This topographic study serves as an essential record of the shoreline configurations and dune-filtered water levels as they existed in the early 21st century.