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1960 Map of Emigrant Gap

Name: 1960 Topographic Map of Emigrant Gap
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1973
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1973

About this map

Emigrant Trail and Oregon Trail routes converge and divide across this central Wyoming landscape, following the natural corridors defined by Emigrant Gap Ridge. The map documents a transition from the pioneer era to the mid-century petroleum and irrigation age, marked by the presence of numerous pipelines and the Casper Canal weaving through the drainages of Poison Spider Creek and Sixmile Draw.

Evidence of early Wyoming ranching and river commerce is centered on the Bessemer Bend of the North Platte River, where the Old Goose Egg House (Ruins) and a Historical Marker stand near the old settlement of Bessemer. Small educational hubs like Poison Spider Sch and Bessemer Sch anchor these rural communities, while landmarks such as Red Buttes provide fixed points for genealogists and local historians tracing the path of westward expansion.