1948 Map of Big Foot Butte

About this map

Big Foot Butte rises above the arid landscape of southern Ada County, serving as the primary landmark in this survey of high desert terrain. The topography, mapped in 1947 and updated with aerial observations from the 1970s, reveals a network of seasonal water sources and drainages essential to life in this volcanic region. Small basins like Tadpole Lake and Wind Butte Lakes offer rare catchments for moisture, while Rabbit Creek carves a path through the southern half of the quadrangle. The map captures a moment when traditional ground surveying met modern photogrammetry, evidenced by the purple revisions that document shifts in the subtle desert tracks and fences that crisscross the sagebrush flats between the buttes.