1972 Map of Castle Creek

About this map

The John Day River flows through this 1972 survey of Grant County, Oregon, defining the central drainage system of a landscape marked by ranching and resource extraction. Within the northern boundary, the Malheur National Forest encompasses steep terrain leading to Butch Foster Saddle. The southern half of the map reveals the area's prospecting history, with several identified Mine locations and the Prairie Diggings situated near Red Hill. A dense network of seasonal and perennial water sources like Johnson Springs and Dead Horse Spring supported local movement along numerous unnamed tracks and established jeep trails. The mapping shows a transition from high-elevation forest to the river valley, where tributaries such as Castle Creek, Pine Creek, and Indian Creek converge with the main river channel.