1950 Map of Devil Peak

About this map

Eldorado National Forest defines this mid-century landscape where the Rubicon River carves a deep path between Placer and El Dorado counties. The map captures a quiet era of transition in the Sierra Nevada, where the extraction economy is visible through several inactive workings such as the Zuver Mine and Clydesdale Mine. Traces of earlier industrial infrastructure remain, most notably a Dismantled Railroad that snakes through the southern section near Lookout Mountain. Small residential and agricultural outposts like the Bacchi Ranch and Pilot Creek House provide evidence of isolated settlement amidst the ridges and canyons. The presence of numerous named water sources, including Ramsey Crossing Spring and Sawpit Spring, underscores the critical importance of water management in this high-altitude terrain before the further development of local reservoirs.