1956 Map of Elk City

About this map

The South Fork Clearwater River and Salmon River carve through a vast high-country landscape that, in the mid-1950s, was characterized by isolated ranching outposts and wilderness mining prospects. This territory is anchored by the Nez Perce Indian Res in the northwest and transitions into the deep backcountry of the Nezperce National Forest and Salmon National Forest. Small settlements like Harpster and Burgdorf serve as primary points of human activity, while numerous family-named landmarks such as Wiley Ranch, Edwards Ranch, and McDowell Ranch indicate the rugged, dispersed nature of habitation during this era.