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1985 Map of Alpha

Name: 1985 Topographic Map of Alpha
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1986
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1986

About this map

Cascade Reservoir dominates the northern reaches of this mid-1980s survey, where the North Fork Payette River winds through the valley floor. The landscape is a study in contrasting elevations, rising sharply from the riverside flats to the prominent peaks of the West Boise Mountains, including Snowbank Mtn and Collier Peak. Within the Boise National Forest, a network of drainages such as Campbell Creek, Willow Creek, and Hurdy Creek feed into the central river system.

Settlement patterns in this era are concentrated along the rail and river corridor, with small communities like Alpha, Cabarton, and Belvidere marking the transit route. The map provides a clear look at the Cascade corporate boundary and several high-elevation water bodies like Skein Lake and Shirts Lake. These features, along with names like Stewarts and Moores, point to a history of mountain ranching and timber activity that defined Valley County during the late twentieth century.