2014 Map of Dust Bowl

About this map

Dust Bowl and Misery Flat characterize the stark landscape of this Central Oregon high desert region, located where the borders of Deschutes, Crook, and Harney counties converge. The terrain is defined by a series of intermittent watercourses including Buck Cr in the north and Swamp Cr winding through the southern reaches. These drainage patterns, alongside labels like Bulger Cr, suggest a land shaped by seasonal moisture and long periods of aridity. Human presence is sparse, represented primarily by the lone SE Allen Rd and the vital Juniper Spring, a critical water source in an otherwise dry expanse. The map illustrates the expansive Public Land Survey System grid, which imposes order on this remote territory of plateaus and flats.