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1955 Map of Donner Pass

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Donner Pass
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1960
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

The high Sierra Nevada landscape around Donner Pass is dominated by the critical transportation corridor of the Southern Pacific Railroad, which follows the arduous climb toward the summit near Norden. This 1955 survey captures the region's mid-century infrastructure, including the historic Henness Pass Road and the scattered mountain settlements of Kingvale and Soda Springs. The map reveals the dense concentration of winter sports and summer recreation sites that defined the era, from the Donner Trail Sch to the Donner Memorial State Park at the eastern edge.

Water management is central to the area's character, shown through the network of high-altitude reservoirs like Lake Van Norden, Independence Lake, and Fordyce Lake. Local history is preserved in labels for the Old Stanford Wood Camp (Site) and the Anderson Mine, while the physical terrain is meticulously detailed with peaks such as Castle Peak and Mount Lincoln. The presence of an Airway Beacon near Troy underscores the importance of this pass for both rail and early aviation routes over the crest.