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2017 Map of Independence Rock

Name: 2017 Topographic Map of Independence Rock
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2017
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2017

About this map

Independence Rock stands as a landmark of the emigrant trails within this high-desert corridor of the Sweetwater River. The terrain is defined by dramatic granite formations including Devils Gate and Martins Cove, sites deeply connected to the 19th-century westward migration. Genealogists and historians can locate specific points of remembrance such as the Independence Rock Burial Ground and the Frederick Richard Fulkerson Gravesite, which mark the passage of travelers through this crossing.

The landscape transitions between the river valley and the elevations of the Sweetwater Rocks and Granite Mtn. Human intervention in the arid environment is noted by the Schounmaker Ditch, while the southern portion of the sheet across the Natrona and Carbon County line features drainage from Rush Cr and Pete Cr. Local-named landmarks like Savage Pocket, Sentinel Rocks, and Point of Rocks emphasize the distinctive geological character that once guided thousands toward the Continental Divide.