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2021 Map of Buckingham Mountain

Name: 2021 Topographic Map of Buckingham Mountain
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2021
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2021

About this map

The South Fork Merced River carves through the northern reaches of this Sierra Nevada landscape, where the Sierra National Forest meets the historic foothill settlements of Jerseydale and Darrah. The terrain is defined by prominent elevations like Buckingham Mtn and the long stretch of Portuguese Ridge, a region where timber and mining history left a clear mark on the land. Evidence of early industrial activity remains through labels like the Comet Mine and Standard Mill, along with numerous routes such as the Hite Cove OHV Route and Savage Lundy Trl that trace the steep gulches.

Water plays a critical role in the geography here, with Skelton Cr and Virginia Cr draining into the Merced canyon. The map details a complex network of forest roads and trails, including Old Mill Rd and the Windlass Ridge Trl, illustrating how the mid-century infrastructure evolved to manage these steep mountainsides. From the river's Peachtree Bar to the high Granite Creek Saddle, the sheet documents a landscape shaped by both natural forces and 19th-century resource extraction.