1979 Map of Anderson Reservoir

About this map

Anderson Reservoir anchors this high-desert landscape in Malheur County, where water management is the primary shaper of human activity. An Aqueduct feeds toward the central reservoir, supporting the isolated infrastructure required for ranching or land management in this arid reach of eastern Oregon. Evidence of human presence is sparse but deliberate, marked by a remote Landing Strip and scattered ruins that suggest the difficulty of maintaining permanent settlement here. The terrain is defined by the Black Hills and Red Hills, with drainages like Drought Creek, Crooked Creek, and Rattlesnake Creek carving paths through the volcanic topography. A lone section of Highway 95 clips the western edge, providing the only major transit link through this expansive open country during the late 1970s.