1913 Map of Ballarat

About this map

Ballarat serves as a central hub in this 1913 survey of the California-Nevada borderlands, an era defined by high-altitude mining and the early infrastructure of the Owens Lake basin. Industrial activity is prominent, from the Cerro Gordo Mines and their associated Tramway near Keeler to the Soda Works on the lake's edge. The map captures a moment when the Southern Pacific RR reached into Rose Valley, and the Aqueduct Dam near Haiwee P O signaled the massive water diversion projects of the twentieth century. Further east, the rugged peaks of the Argus Range and Panamint Valley harbor scattered outposts like Skidoo and Harrisburg, alongside isolated homesteads such as Hungry Bills Ranch and Indian Ranch. This record details a landscape where water sources like Emigrant Spring and Marble Bath were essential for survival between the scorched reaches of Mesquite Flat and the summit of Telescope Pk.