1986 Map of Big Dune

About this map

The Amargosa Desert dominates this arid landscape, characterized by the towering sand deposits of Big Dune in the southwest and the eastern slopes of Yucca Mountain. This 1986 provisional survey captures a sparsely populated stretch of the Nevada desert during a period of geological and infrastructural interest. The small settlement of Ashton sits along the western edge, while an Old Railroad Grade traces a diagonal path across the valley, signaling an era of transport that predated the modern highway. Evidence of resource exploration is scattered throughout the terrain in the form of various prospects and borrow pits. The presence of a long Transmission Line and a specific marked Gate near the southern boundary suggests the region's integration into larger utility and land management networks, even as the landscape remains defined by features like the parched Roses Well.