Loading map...

1906 Map of Blalock Island

Name: 1906 Topographic Map of Blalock Island
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1954
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1954

About this map

Columbia River commerce and early irrigation efforts define this 1906 survey of the borderlands between Oregon and Washington. The river is the central artery, dominated by the large Blalock Island and smaller landmasses like Thanksgiving Island. Along the southern bank, the Oregon-Washington Railroad and Navigation Co serves the budding settlement of Irrigon and the landmark at Castle Rock. To the north, the Spokane Portland and Seattle line tracks the base of Paterson Ridge near the town of Paterson.

Away from the water, the landscape transitions into a series of deep canyons and high plateaus marked by essential water sources for livestock and homesteaders, such as Strawberry Spr and South Spr. Prominent landmarks like Ella Butte and Stanley Buttes rise above the network of wagon roads and a Trail connecting the remote outposts of Morgan and Cecil. This era captures the region just as the expansion of railroads and systematic water management began to reshape the high desert.