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1988 Map of Benton Range

Name: 1988 Topographic Map of Benton Range
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1988
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1988

About this map

The Benton Range and the high desert valleys of the California-Nevada border define this landscape of mining activity and thermal springs. In the eastern portion of the map, the White Mountains rise toward Boundary Peak, the highest point in Nevada, while the Sierra Nevada dominates the west. Settlement patterns here are dictated by water and mineral wealth, from the recreational hubs of Mammoth Lakes and Old Mammoth to the secluded Benton Hot Springs.

Mineral extraction is recorded through numerous named claims like the Black Warrior Mine, Champion Mine, and Sacramento Mine. The region’s volcanic origins are evidenced by the Volcanic Tableland and the Owens River Gorge, along with active geothermal sites like Casa Diablo Hot Springs and Whitmore Hot Springs. These features, combined with the presence of the Inyo National Forest and Toiyabe National Forest, show a landscape transitioning from a 19th-century mining economy to one of public land management and recreation by the late 1980s.