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1951 Map of Desert Mound

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Desert Mound
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1951
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1951

About this map

Desert Mound sits at a critical industrial junction where the Union Pacific railroad met the extraction demands of mid-century Southern Utah. The map reveals a landscape defined by large-scale mining operations, specifically the prominent Open Pit Iron Mine and its associated Mine Dump. To the southwest, the terrain transitions into the high peaks of Iron Mountain and the Swett Hills, where the Homestake Mine (Inactive) points to an earlier era of resource exploration.

Evidence of ranching life persists at the Woolsey Ranch near the base of the Harmony Mts, where Leach Canyon Creek and Duncan Creek provide essential water in this arid environment. The broad expanse of the Escalante Desert and the Neck of the Desert dominate the northern half of the sheet, illustrating the stark contrast between the industrial activity of the mines and the open range of the Great Basin.