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1968 Map of Black Buttes

Name: 1968 Topographic Map of Black Buttes
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1972
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1972

About this map

Union Pacific rails and the historic path of the Overland Trail converge in this high-desert corridor of Sweetwater County. The map documents a landscape defined by transportation history and resource extraction, anchored by the Black Buttes Stage Station (Ruins). This site, along with various other Ruins and a lone Grave, speaks to the transitory nature of early western settlement along the Bitter Creek drainage.

Industrial development is visible through numerous Drill Hole locations and a Gas Well scattered across the basin. Small settlements like Hallville and Black Buttes appear alongside the infrastructure of the railroad, which remains the primary artery through this arid region. The topographical detail reveals the winding path of the Overland Trail as it mirrors the rail line, offering a clear view of how geography dictated the routes of both pioneers and locomotives.