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1885 Map of East Tavaputs

Name: 1885 Topographic Map of East Tavaputs
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1885
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1885

About this map

The East Tavaputs Plateau dominates this late nineteenth-century topographic study, which documents the complex drainage systems and massive escarpments of eastern Utah. The landscape is defined by the sharp vertical relief of the Roan or Brown Cliffs and the Book Cliffs, which separate the higher plateau from the lower Grand River Valley. In the southeast, the Denver and Rio Grande Western railroad corridor follows the valley floor, providing a vital transportation link through this challenging terrain.

Hydrological features are central to the map, from the northern White River and its tributaries like Evacuation Creek and Asphalt Creek to the deep Green River Canyon in the west. These water sources, including the southern Grand River, were the primary anchors for early exploration and potential settlement in the Uinta region. Names like Sweet Water Creek and Bitter Water Creek offer a direct record of the water quality encountered by early surveyors across these high desert basins.