The pivotal role played by the railway in the development of Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, is obvious in this fire insurance plan from 1911. Located in southwestern Saskatchewan, Maple Creek became a service centre to the local ranching community shortly after it was incorporated in 1903. Today, the community is able to draw on its hinterland for some $24 million in annual livestock sales, and consequently, has survived as a small but vibrant community while other Prairie towns have failed.