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1959 Map of Broad Mesa

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Broad Mesa
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1960
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

Broad Mesa dominates this 1950s Wyoming landscape, where the high plains of Natrona County are marked by an intricate network of seasonal drainages and early infrastructure. The most prominent human feature is the 102 Ranch (Aband), a remote outpost situated along the winding course of Wallace Creek. This ranch site offers a specific point of interest for researchers of high-desert livestock operations and western settlement patterns during the mid-20th century.

Water management and transportation are defined by the natural topography of the Middle Fork Casper Creek and McClanahan Draw in the southeast. An industrial presence is noted by a long Pipeline traversing the southern sections of the map, illustrating the intersection of energy development and the open range. The contour lines reveal the dramatic relief between the flat top of the mesa and the eroded creek beds that carve through this arid interior basin.