1885 Map of East Tavaputs

About this map

The East Tavaputs Plateau dominates this high-altitude landscape, where the triangulation work of the Hayden and Powell surveys documented the complex drainage systems of the late nineteenth century. The terrain is defined by the dramatic descent from the plateau through the Brown Cliffs and the Roan or Book Cliffs toward the Colorado River Valley. This era of western expansion saw the arrival of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad in the lower corner of the sheet, providing a vital transport link through a region otherwise characterized by isolated water sources like Asphalt Creek and Evacuation Creek. The Utah Colorado Boundary Line bisects the eastern portion of the map, marking the formal division of the territory as it transitions from the White River in the north to the Colorado River in the south.