1979 Map of Halfway Lake

About this map

Halfway Lake and its surrounding high desert plains dominate this Idaho interior landscape, captured during the 1970s. The terrain is defined by a series of shallow basins and ephemeral water bodies, including West Wildhorse Lake, South Wildhorse Lake, and Mud Flat Lake, which reflect the region's unique drainage patterns where water often pools without an outlet to a major river system. Rising above the flat expanse, Wildhorse Butte provides a distinct vertical landmark used by surveyors and travelers alike. Remote and sparsely developed, the area is interlaced with several Jeep Trails and unnamed Trails, suggesting a land utilized for seasonal grazing and outdoor exploration rather than permanent settlement. The survey reflects the methodical mapping of the Usgs in an era when photogrammetric methods from 1971 aerial photography were refining our understanding of the Snake River Plain's high-altitude desert topography.