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1974 Map of Benton City

Name: 1974 Topographic Map of Benton City
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1977
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1977

About this map

Benton City and the neighboring settlement of Kiona occupy a strategic bend in the Yakima River during the mid-1970s, serving as a hub for both agricultural irrigation and regional transport. The landscape is defined by the massive rise of Red Mountain and the intricate network of water management systems, including the Kiona Canal, Columbia Canal, and Richland Canal, which transformed this arid terrain into productive land.

The northern reaches of the map include the high-security perimeter of the Hanford Works, marked as a restricted zone just across the river from Horn Rapids County Park. Transportation is anchored by the dual presence of the Burlington Northern and Union Pacific railroads, which parallel the river and the Old Inland Empire Hy. Local landmarks like the Kiona-Benton City Sch and Evergreen Cem anchor the community's domestic life amidst the industrial and atomic-era expansion of the Columbia Basin.