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1968 Map of Independence Valley NW

Name: 1968 Topographic Map of Independence Valley NW
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1971
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1971

About this map

Warm Springs Ranch serves as a lone point of habitation in this high-desert basin of Elko County, mapped during the late 1960s. The landscape is defined by the Independence Valley (Depression), a vast sink where seasonal drainage from Independence Creek and scattered Springs terminates. This hydrological pattern suggests a specialized ranching economy dependent on these rare water sources in an otherwise arid environment.

Remote transportation is facilitated by a network of unimproved routes, including a primary Jeep Trail that skirts the eastern elevations. The presence of a Borrow Pit near the ranch indicates localized earthwork and road maintenance typical of managing large, isolated Nevada landholdings. This 1968 field-checked survey captures the valley before significant modern changes, preserving the locations of a single Well and specific water points vital for genealogists tracing early Great Basin cattle operations.