SOIL SURVEY OF BANNER COUNTY, NEBRASKA. 7 



slopes. In a few places erosion has isolated parts of the upland and 

 left them standinjr as biitte forms on the valley slopes. Gabe Rock, 

 (^astle Rock, and Bio^horn Mountain are notable examples. 



As previously mentioned. Wild Cat Ridge borders the Pumpkin 

 Creek Valley on the north. This ridge occurs as a high, narrow 

 divide between the Xorth Platte River and Pumpkin Creek and 

 represents a narrow strip of the original table-land which has es- 

 caped the rapid erosion that lowered the surrounding country. It 

 is bordered on both sides by steep, precipitous escarpments. A ref- 

 erence to the map will show that the northern escarpment lies inside 

 the county for only a short distance in the extrerhe northeastern 

 part. The topography of this land form is extremely rough and 

 broken and has a great range in relief. There is a 600-foot rise in a 

 distance of 24 miles from the base of the escarpment to the crest of 

 the ridge which lies at the original level of the table. 



The escarpment on the north side of Wild Cat Ridge drops ab- 

 ruptly into the Platte River Valley, a small section of which occurs 

 in the extreme Jiortheastern part of the county. The topography of 

 this section is flat to rolling, the surface sloping gently toward the 

 north. The more level part occurs on the west side, while that along 

 the east county line has been considerably modified by colluvial fan 

 and wind-blown materials in an advanced stage of erosion. 



The lowest elevation in the county is at the point where Plimpkin 

 Creek crosses the eastern boundary, approximately 3,940 feet above 

 sea level. The highest elevation recorded by the United States Geo- 

 logical SurA^ey is 5,240 feet in sec. 23, T. 18 N., R. 58 W. The most 

 abrupt relief occurs between Hogback Mountain, a prominent land 

 form, and Pumpkin Creek. The summit of the former is 5,082 feet 

 above sea level and the latter, 2 miles south, is 4,300 feet above sea 

 level. An elevation of 4,500 feet is attained on the Harrisburg- 

 Scottsbluff highway near where it crosses the north county line. 

 The elevations of other prominent landmarks are : Wildcat Moun- 

 tain, 5,038 feet; Funnel Rock, 4,502 feet; Castle Rock, 4,472 feet; 

 Gabe Rock, 5,006 feet; Bighorn Mountain, 4,713 feet; Sheep Moun- 

 tain, 4,507 feet; and Smokestack Rock, 4,326 feet. The general 

 slope of the county is to- the southeast. 



Pumpkin Creek, the largest stream in the county, drains the north- 

 ern two-thirds of the area, with the exception of a few square miles 

 in the northeastern part, from which the run-off is north into the 

 North Platte River. The table-land in the southern part of the 

 county is drained by Lawrence Fork and its tributaries. Pumpkin 

 Creek has a fall of about 460 feet in its course of about 27 miles in 

 this county, averaging 17 feet to the mile. It flows in a shallow 

 channel from 2 to 4 feet deep and has an average width of about 20 



