1955 Map of Boise

About this map

Boise and its neighboring Treasure Valley communities of Nampa, Caldwell, and Meridian are depicted during a period of mid-century growth along the Union Pacific rail corridor. The landscape is defined by extensive irrigation networks and reservoirs that support the surrounding agricultural districts, including Black Canyon Res and Lake Lowell within the Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge. To the south, the terrain rises sharply into the Owyhee Mountains, where the high-altitude settlement of Silver City stands in contrast to the volcanic features of the Jordan Craters and the Lava Flow further west. This survey illustrates the intricate relationship between the region's river systems—the Snake, Boise, and Payette—and the development of the high desert into a productive corridor of orchards and towns stretching from Ontario to Horseshoe Bend.