1981 Map of Baker

About this map

Baker and the surrounding Baker Valley serve as the focal point for this regional study, which illustrates the complex intersection of mining, agriculture, and transportation in eastern Oregon. The Union Pacific rail line and U.S. 30 parallel each other through the valley, connecting settlements like Haines and Pleasant Valley. To the east, the landscape shifts toward the Whitman National Forest, where a dense network of mining operations such as the Young American Mine, Rachel Mine, and Keystone Mine dot the terrain near Sparta. The map documents the water resources of the era, from the winding Powder River and its various sloughs—Old Settlers Slough and Missouri Slough—to the significant expanse of the Brownlee Reservoir along the Snake River on the Idaho border. Small communities like Halfway and Richland remain established in the agricultural pockets between the mountains and the river.