1965 Map of Coyote Rapids

About this map

The Hanford Works (AEC) dominates this mid-1960s landscape, illustrating a heavily controlled government industrial landscape along the Columbia River. The map meticulously details the infrastructure required for the Atomic Energy Commission's operations, including the extensive U. S. Govt. Railroad and numerous test wells scattered across the Cold Creek Valley. Small named nodes like Allard, Riverland, and Susie appear alongside operational facilities such as the Yakima Barricade and a Fire Station, marking a unique intersection of former civilian settlements and high-security military-industrial development. The natural terrain remains prominent through the Wahluke Slope and Sand Dunes, while the Hanford Ditch and Rattlesnake Spring point to the critical management of water in this arid reach of the Columbia basin.