1892 Map of Alturas

About this map

Warner Mountains dominate the central topography of this northeastern California survey, dividing the high desert plateaus from the alkali lake basins to the east. At the turn of the century, this landscape was defined by the transition from the Modoc Lava Bed in the west to the significant water bodies of Goose Lake and the Upper Lake chain. The settlement pattern reveals the strategic importance of military and indigenous sites, including the established Fort Bidwell and marked Old Indian Villages. Economic life centers on the valleys, where the North Fork Pit River and South Fork Pit River converge near Alturas Hill. Remote mining and agricultural outposts like Hayden Hill, Cedarville, and Canby are linked by primitive roads through the Antelope Plains and Ingalls Valley, reflecting the rugged independence of the Modoc frontier during this period.