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1979 Map of Blackstone Reservoir

Name: 1979 Topographic Map of Blackstone Reservoir
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1979
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1979

About this map

Blackstone Ranch and its namesake reservoir sit at the center of this 1970s landscape in Owyhee County. The area is defined by a network of seasonal watercourses and drainage features like Juniper Draw and Louse Creek, which navigate the arid expanse of the Blackstone Desert. This high-desert terrain is marked by a sparse infrastructure of unpaved transit, with the Grasmere Road and Blackstone Road serving as the primary lifelines for the isolated ranching operations.

Evidence of local resource extraction is found at the Gravel Pits in the southwest, while the varied topography is highlighted by features such as Big Holes and the beginnings of Bighorn Country to the southeast. The survey captures the region just before the shift to more modern mapping standards, preserving the exact layout of Nit Creek and numerous remote Jeep Trails that provided access to this corner of Idaho.