Loading map...

1979 Map of Buffalo Hump

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

USGS Topo · Published 1979

About this map

Mining heritage defines the high ridges of the Nez Perce National Forest, where late-twentieth-century surveys documented a landscape of former boomtowns and extracted wealth. The central prominence of Buffalo Hump is surrounded by a network of historic workings, including the Big Buffalo Mine, Ajax Mine, and the Concord Mine. These sites represent the remains of a once-active gold district, now preserved within the Gospel-Hump Wilderness.

The map records the footprints of vanished settlements that once supported these operations, labeling the locations of Humptown, Frogtown, and Calendar. Industrial infrastructure like the Atlas Mill and various prospects are scattered across Mineral Hill and Quartzite Ridge. While much of the land has returned to a primitive state, the persistence of names like Jumbo Camp and the winding Pack Trail system provides a clear record of the area's human history amidst the alpine lakes and canyons.