1909 Map of Garden Valley

About this map

Scott Mtn serves as a central landmark in this 1890s-era survey, overlooking a landscape defined by the deep canyons and high ridges of the Payette National Forest and Boise National Forest. The map documents a period before modern water management, showing the natural course of the Deadwood River as it flows through the Deadwood Basin and the Payette River south of Garden Valley. Early settlements such as Lowman and Banner appear as isolated outposts along the riverbanks and mining-adjacent drainages like Grimes Creek. The intricate drainage system, including Silver Creek, Bulldog Creek, and Thunder Creek, illustrates the complex topography that governed early travel and resource extraction in the region. Notable geographic features like Lightning Ridge and Round Valley emphasize the sharp elevation changes that characterize this portion of the Idaho backcountry.