Loading map...

1966 Map of Eightmile Lake

Name: 1966 Topographic Map of Eightmile Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1981
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1981

About this map

The Continental Divide winds through this high-altitude landscape, separating the basins of the American West. The terrain is defined by dramatic geological features like the Big Wamsutter Rim and the Big Hill, which overlook a series of ephemeral and semi-permanent water bodies including Dry Lake, Eightmile Lake, and the naturally occurring Echo Depression. These features underscore the hydrology of a region where water is a scarce and vital resource, evidenced further by the presence of the Government Reservoir.

Industrial activity in the mid-1960s is marked by a prominent Pipeline cutting across the landscape and scattered infrastructure like a Storage Bin and a Drill Hole. The map also captures the administrative boundary between Sweetwater and Carbon counties, tracing a line through the expansive Horse Pasture Draw and down toward Coal Bank Lake. This survey represents the high desert environment before modern energy development further transformed the surface of the Great Divide Basin.