Loading map...

1961 Map of Buckboard Mesa

Name: 1961 Topographic Map of Buckboard Mesa
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1979
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1979

About this map

The Nevada Test Site dominates this 1961 landscape, a high-desert environment shaped by both ancient human presence and modern atomic-era research. Collaborative mapping by the Geological Survey and the Atomic Energy Commission reveals a terrain marked by numerous Test Sites and a Test Site drilling hole, reflecting the mid-century intensification of military and scientific operations in the Great Basin. An Abandoned Airstrip sits near the Boundary Area, while Tippipah Road provides access through the high plateaus.

Contrasting these modern developments is the preservation of indigenous history, indicated by Indian Petroglyphs and a Cave located near Brushy Canyon. The land is deeply carved by drainage systems like Fortymile Canyon and Cat Canyon, which define the rugged edges of Buckboard Mesa. The map serves as a record of a transitional moment when remote desert reaches were being repurposed for the Cold War while still retaining visible traces of much older habitation.