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1971 Map of Coal Mine Basin

Name: 1971 Topographic Map of Coal Mine Basin
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1983
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1983

About this map

Mining activity and high-desert hydrology define this section of Elko County during the early 1970s. The landscape is marked by resource extraction and elevation, centered around the Garamendi Mine and a namesake Coal Mine located near Coal Mine Pass. These operations are situated within the broader Coal Mine Basin, a region where the industrial footprint of the day met the challenging topography of the Adobe Range.

Water sources are critical landmarks in this arid environment, with numerous named springs such as Blackrock Spring, Cherry Spring, and Five Springs providing necessary points of orientation. Travel through the basin relied on a network of unpaved routes, including the Coal Mine Road and various Jeep Trails that navigate the drainages of Pie Creek and Coal Canyon. The map records a specific moment of land use where small-scale Prospects and established mines dictated the human presence in the hills north of Elko.