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1947 Map of Hammett

Name: 1947 Topographic Map of Hammett
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1966
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1966

About this map

Snake River navigation and the legacy of the western migration define this landscape near the border of Elmore and Owyhee counties. The town of Hammett sits at a critical junction of infrastructure, where the Union Pacific railroad and a Short Line converge near the path of the Old Oregon Trail. This corridor represents a layers-of-history transition from 19th-century wagon routes to mid-20th-century rail and irrigation development, evidenced by the intricate Main Canal and Siphon systems drawing water to the benchlands.

Along the river, large landforms like Schoffs Island and Sparlin Island dominate the channel, while the steep canyon walls are breached by Cold Springs Creek and Bennett Creek. The presence of the Medbury Fy (Aban'd) and the McGinness Ranch suggests a landscape once more dependent on river crossings and isolated homesteads before modern bridge and road improvements changed the pace of travel through The Narrows.