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1968 Map of Alvord Hot Springs

Name: 1968 Topographic Map of Alvord Hot Springs
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1981
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1981

About this map

Steens Mountain dominates the western landscape of this high-desert region, where dramatic relief drops toward the Alvord Desert (Depression). The map documents a rugged resource-extraction and ranching frontier in Harney County during the late 1960s, evidenced by a Mine and Tramway located near Dry Creek. Water is the defining constraint of the era, marked by numerous named points like Belzar Spring and the Alvord Hot Springs.

Evidence of earlier human presence appears in the form of Ruins situated near a spring on the slopes of the Steens. Transportation in this era relied on a network of a Jeep Trail and a Flume, while several Prospects suggest ongoing mineral exploration. The drainage pattern is intricate, with Little Alvord Creek, Pike Creek, and Tuffy Creek cutting eastward toward the valley floor, creating a stark contrast between the alpine heights and the arid basin below.