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1982 Map of Deacon Crossing

Name: 1982 Topographic Map of Deacon Crossing
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1983
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1983

About this map

The Owyhee River carves a deep path through this high desert borderland, serving as the central topographical anchor for a landscape defined by water management and remote grazing. In the early 1980s, the area's geography was characterized by numerous small-scale water projects designed to sustain life in the Pole Creek Basin, including The Difficulty Reservoir and the Sharon Creek Reservoir. The presence of an Airstrip near Deacon Field suggests the necessity of aerial access for managing this expansive rangeland.

Named features like The Difficulty and Pole Creek Breaks reflect the challenges of the terrain along the Oregon-Idaho boundary. Settlement is sparse, centered on the crossing from which the quadrangle takes its name, Deacon Crossing. This survey captures the infrastructure of the American West's interior, where isolated landmarks like Saddlehorse Spring and Dry Lake Pit provided essential waypoints for those navigating the high flats between Malheur and Owyhee counties.