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1969 Map of Balm Canyon

Name: 1969 Topographic Map of Balm Canyon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1973
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1973

About this map

Rhea Creek winds through this section of Morrow County, where the high plateau is deeply incised by a complex system of drainage canyons. The northern portion of the map is defined by the Rhea Creek Cem and its namesake waterway, which receives flow from numerous side-canyons such as Graveyard Creek and Luncford Canyon. The landscape transitions into the Umatilla National Forest in the southeast, where the terrain rises toward Warm Hill.

Evidence of historical land use is visible in the numerous named water sources essential for livestock in this arid environment, including Saling Spring, Lowen Spring, and Willow Spring. The canyon network, including Balm Canyon, Gilliam Canyon, and Ridgeway Canyon, illustrates the geographic challenges of early movement through this region, long before modern infrastructure dominated the landscape.