1954 Map of Dugway Proving Ground NW

About this map

Dugway Proving Ground defines this mid-century landscape in the remote Great Salt Lake Desert, where military operations and early transcontinental survey routes intersect. The map reveals a high-precision grid established for testing, bisected by functional desert tracks like Falconer Road and Stark Road. A significant hydrological feature, the ephemeral Dry Lake, occupies the southern portion of the quadrangle, illustrating the basin-and-range topography typical of Tooele County. Historians will find interest in the intersection of Goodyear Road and the various benchmark locations such as BM 4301 and BM 4297, which served as critical data points for the 1954 planetable surveys. The sparse placement of landmarks like Gpi-3 underscores the isolation and specialized use of this territory during the height of the Cold War era.