1915 Map of Freedom

About this map

The Salt River Valley straddles the high border country where the Caribou Range and Webster Range define the horizon. This early twentieth-century landscape is dominated by the historic Lander Cutoff, a vital branch of the Oregon Trail that winds through the mountainous terrain toward the Bear River. The map captures a moment when the regional economy was tied to both cattle ranching and early industry, evidenced by the Petersons Ranch and Miller Ranch alongside the Old Salt Works near Stump Creek. Settlements like Freedom, which features the Freedom School, and Auburn are anchored in the valley flats, while the surrounding high ground is protected as part of the Caribou National Forest. Surveyed before the widespread modernization of mountain roads, the map provides an essential look at the original water sources and drainage patterns of Tincup Creek and its many tributaries.