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1952 Map of Frenchman Flat

Name: 1952 Topographic Map of Frenchman Flat
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1964
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1964

About this map

The Nevada Test Site dominates this early 1950s landscape, capturing a pivotal moment in the development of American nuclear research facilities. The map reveals a high-desert environment structured for technical operations, featuring the stark drainage of Frenchman Flat and the evocative Plutonium Valley. Transportation through this restricted zone is anchored by the Mercury Highway, which connects the southern flats to the northern reaches of Yucca Flat.

Topographic details mapped by the Army Map Service highlight the isolation of the Ranger Mountains and the volcanic terrain of the Raysonde Buttes. Landmarks like French Peak and Massachusetts Mtn rise above the dry basins of Yucca Lake and the various canyons and scarps that define the Nye and Lincoln County borders. This survey represents a period when military infrastructure was rapidly transforming the Great Basin for the Atomic Age.