1956 Map of Emerald Lake

About this map

Shoshone National Forest defines this high-elevation landscape in the mid-1950s, where the drainage basins of the Washakie Wilderness Area converge. The terrain is dominated by significant peaks such as Lost Ranger Top and the Red Tops, with water systems flowing through deep valleys carved by Needle Creek and Frontier Creek. A single Pack Trail serves as the primary route through the area, tracing the contours below Crescent Top. This 1956 field check documents a wilderness landscape managed as part of the Department of the Interior's Missouri River Basin development program. The presence of features like Devils Graveyard and Petrified Forest Creek suggests a geologist's eye for the distinct formations and fossilized remains found in this part of the Absaroka Range. High alpine lakes, including Emerald Lake, Sheep Lake, and Green Lake, are positioned at the headwaters of their respective drainages near the Park and Fremont County line.