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1971 Map of Dietrich Butte

Name: 1971 Topographic Map of Dietrich Butte
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1974
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1974

About this map

Dietrich Butte and its cinder pit dominate the volcanic landscape of southern Idaho, where 1970s land use reflects a complex system of desert irrigation. Water management defines the terrain, as the Dietrich Main Canal and various laterals snake across the plains to support reservoirs like Crater Reservoir and West Monument Reservoir. This infrastructure suggests a high degree of engineering required to sustain agricultural or pastoral activity in an area otherwise characterized by Sand Dunes and lava-formed features like Brown Butte.

The southern portion of the sheet reveals the industrial corridor of the Union Pacific railroad, which passes through the small settlement of Besslen. This rail link, paired with the presence of multiple Borrow Pits and the Freebreak Trail, underscores the region's importance for transportation and resource extraction during this era. Faint details such as the Lone Rock Bridge and Trout Waterhole provide specific coordinates for those researching the localized geography of Lincoln County.