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1955 Map of Hawthorne

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Hawthorne
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1965
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1965

About this map

Hawthorne serves as the central hub of this mid-century Nevada landscape, situated at the junction of military and transportation infrastructure. The town's grid is dominated by the Mineral Co High Sch and a local Cem, while the expansive Naval Ammunition Depot occupies the surrounding flats, highlighting the area's strategic importance during the Cold War. To the north, the steel rails of the Southern Pacific track toward Thorne, following the base of the Gillis Range and providing a vital link for the high-desert munitions facility.

The western edge of the map is defined by the shoreline of Walker Lake, where the dramatic rise of the Wassuk Range creates a steep vertical relief. High-altitude drainage points like Squaw Creek and House Creek cut through these mountains, while to the east, the topography transitions into the convoluted ridges of Ryan Canyon and the Garfield Hills. This survey captures the region at a point of high military activity, showing the desert as a place of organized industrial and defense utility.