2011 Map of Wilson Valley

About this map

Wilson Valley characterizes this stretch of the Nebraska Sandhills, where a network of family-owned ranching operations defines the local geography. The landscape is punctuated by a series of significant water bodies, including Rat Lake in the west and the neighboring Skull Lake and Little Skull Lake to the southeast. These natural features provided essential water sources for the cattle industry that has long sustained Cherry County. The spatial distribution of the Schleuter Ranch, Hoef- Scheer Ranch, and Higgins Ranch suggests a traditional ranching economy where large parcels of land are centered around localized homesteads. Roadways connect these scattered outposts, such as the Shaul Ranch and Burley Ranch, weaving through the valley floor and across the low-lying terrain. This 2011 survey records the continued presence of established agricultural estates like the Scheer Ranch and Broad Ranch, illustrating the enduring nature of Nebraska's rural land-use patterns into the twenty-first century.