1973 Map of Black Hills NW

About this map

Three Lakes Valley dominates this 1970s landscape, illustrating the intersection of federal conservation and military operations in the Nevada desert. The area is divided between the sprawling Desert National Wildlife Range and the restricted grounds of the Nellis Air Force Range. This mapping effort, based on 1972 aerial photography, documents the specific locations of a Target Area and a smaller Target within the range, indicating the active tactical use of the land during the Cold War era. The topography is defined by the Three Lakes Depression and natural landmarks such as White Sage Gap. A Military Reservation Boundary (Indefinite) marks the overlapping jurisdiction between the wildlife refuge and the Department of Defense, showing how these vast tracts of Clark County were partitioned for specialized government use.