1989 Map of Brown Knoll

About this map

The Wah Wah Valley Hardpan dominates this arid landscape, showing a vast playa environment before it meets the rising slopes of the San Francisco Mountains in the southeast. This 1989 provisional survey reveals a remote desert region where water management is critical to the few human activities present. Isolated water sources such as Wah Wah Well, Charlie Nielsen Pond, and the East Hardpan Reservoir are the primary landmarks in an area otherwise defined by dramatic elevation changes between the Black Hills and the prominent Brown Knoll. The presence of the Bagnall Corral and a Gravel Pit indicates sparse agricultural and industrial utility, while the precise section lines and benchmarks reflect the methodical effort by the U.S. Geological Survey to map this difficult Utah terrain.