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1892 Map of Alturas

Name: 1892 Topographic Map of Alturas
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1918
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1918

About this map

Fort Bidwell and its surrounding military reserve anchor the northeastern corner of this northeastern California landscape, which was documented by Eugene Ricksecker and the Wheeler Survey. The terrain is defined by the massive north-south wall of the Warner Mountains, separating the high desert basins of Upper Lake, Middle Alkali Lake, and Lower Lake from the Pit River drainage. At the base of these peaks, early settlements such as Cedarville and Eagleville line the Surprise Valley corridor along the Nevada boundary.

To the west, the Modoc Lava Bed and the Antelope Plains reveal a more volcanic character. Unusual historical markers including Old Indian Villages near Ingalls Valley provide rare map-based documentation of Indigenous sites, while the mining influence is visible at Hayden Hill. The map also captures the vast expanse of Goose Lake, a terminal lake system central to the region's early ranching and transit history.