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1953 Map of Kittitas

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Kittitas
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1992
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1992

About this map

The agricultural landscape of the Kittitas Valley is defined by an intricate network of irrigation systems and rail infrastructure as they existed in the mid-20th century. At the center of this network lies Kittitas, served by the Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific railroad and flanked by the Town Canal and Cascade Canal. These man-made waterways, along with the Wipple Wasteway, transformed the arid terrain between the Yakima River and the northern slopes of Manastash Ridge into a productive farming region.

Rural life is anchored by localized landmarks such as Denmark Hall and the Denmark Sch, alongside small rail-side settlements like Regal and Edgemont. The map reveals the transition from the level valley floor to the steep relief of the ridge, where features like Vanderbilt Gap and Sorensen Spring mark the edge of the irrigated zone. Local aviation is noted at Cameron Airfield, while the early path of Interstate 90 appears in later revisions, cutting across the established drainage of Cooke Creek and Caribou Creek.