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1950 Map of Emigrant Gap

Name: 1950 Topographic Map of Emigrant Gap
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1952
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1952

About this map

The Oregon Trail winds across this central Wyoming landscape, marked by a specific Oregon Trail Marker near the southern bend of the North Platte River. This 1950 survey, conducted as part of the Missouri River Basin development program, details a region transitioning between historic westward migration routes and modern industrial utility. The Casper Canal and various irrigation ditches crisscross the area around Emigrant Gap Ridge, illustrating the mid-century effort to manage water in the arid high plains.

Evidence of early frontier settlement remains at the Old Goose Egg Ranch House (Ruins) located near the riverbank. The local infrastructure of the era is represented by the Bessemer School and the network of Pipe Lines serving the region. Industrial activity is noted at a Bentonite Mine while the natural drainage of Poison Spider Creek and Iron Creek continues to define the local topography south of the ridge.