1987 Map of Keeler

About this map

The settlement of Keeler sits at the edge of the expansive Owens Lake bed, a site defined by the extraction and transport of local minerals in the late twentieth century. This 1987 survey illustrates the industrial footprint of the region, where numerous Prospect and Prospects sites dot the rising terrain of the Inyo Mts to the east. Evidence of mining operations is clear through labels for a Mine, Borrow Pit, and Talings, while a system of Levees and a lone Corral suggest the management of both water and livestock in this arid environment. Genealogy researchers will find the local Cem near the townsite, situated between the lake's margin and the high reaches of Malpais Mesa. The map captures a landscape of transition, from the low flats of Owens Valley to the steep, 4WD-accessible slopes of Conglomerate Mesa.