1954 Map of Flat Canyon

About this map

The Green River carves a deep boundary along the eastern edge of this territory, defining the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation. This 1954 survey captures a remote pocket of the Utah wilderness where life revolved around the difficult landscape of the Book Cliffs. Human activity is sparse, centered on the Rock Creek Ranch near the river and a Landing Field on the northern Flat. The terrain is characterized by a series of parallel, south-sloping finger ridges including Cottonwood Ridge, Summerhouse Ridge, and Steer Ridge, which separate deep canyons such as Rock Creek Canyon and Summerhouse Canyon. An early Gas Well on Cedar Ridge and a network of Jeep Trails suggest the beginning of resource exploration in a landscape otherwise dominated by historic ranching and tribal lands.