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2011 Map of Chief Joseph Dam

Name: 2011 Topographic Map of Chief Joseph Dam
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2011
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2011

About this map

Chief Joseph Dam anchors the northeast corner of this landscape, holding back the Columbia River as it flows through the high desert of Douglas County. The terrain transitions from the river's edge into a complex network of dry coulees and plateaus, defined by topographic features like Collins Canyon and Buckingham Flats. The drainage patterns are clearly marked by the forks of Foster Creek, including West Foster Creek, Middle Foster Creek, and East Foster Creek, which carve deep draws through the arid highlands.

Rural life in this part of Washington is centered around small water sources and family-named landmarks. Isolated features such as McClain Lake, Rudd Lake, and Sharper Spring provide critical points of interest for local history and genealogy research. The presence of Peaceful Valley and the network of section-line roads like Matheson Rd NE and Mansfield Rd NE show how the land has been partitioned for agriculture and ranching south of the Columbia.