1949 Map of Wright Valley

About this map

Wright Valley and the expansive sandhills of western Nebraska define this mid-century landscape on the border of Hooker and McPherson Counties. The area is characterized by a high density of established ranching homesteads, such as the Pinkerton Ranch and H Moore Ranch, which served as the primary hubs of activity in this remote grazing country. The distribution of scattered rural education centers, including School No 58 and School No 18, reveals a settlement pattern where distance between neighbors necessitated local one-room schoolhouses. Significant natural depressions and drainage systems like Big Lamunyon Flats and Dishpan Valley illustrate the unique hydrology of the region before modern irrigation changed the Nebraska cattle range. The topographic detail captures a specific era of the Missouri River Basin development program, documenting a transition in land use and rural infrastructure.