1948 Map of Emerson Nipple

About this map

The Columbia River forms the northern boundary of this high-desert landscape, where the Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific railroad follows the shoreline past China Bar. Inland, the terrain is dominated by the massive parallel elevations of Umtanum Ridge and Yakima Ridge, separated by a complex system of drainages including Cold Creek and Dry Creek. High points such as Emerson Nipple and the deeply incised McCoy Canyon define the area's sharp vertical relief. Human presence is sparse, centered on isolated water sources like Juniper Springs and Barrel Springs, and ranching operations such as Roberts Ranch near the southern boundary. This 1948 survey, photoinspected in 1975, captures a remote section of the Yakima and Benton County line before modern developments altered the surrounding agricultural and industrial use of the land.