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1958 Map of Lapwai

Name: 1958 Topographic Map of Lapwai
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

Nez Perce Indian Reservation lands dominate this mid-century landscape where the Clearwater River meets the Potlatch River. The convergence of these waters at Arrow and Spalding Memorial State Park serves as a geographic and historical anchor for the region. Settlement patterns follow the valley floor, with the community of Lapwai housing the North Idaho Indian Agency and the Lapwai State Game Farm further south.

Transportation corridors including the Northern Pacific railroad and the Lewis and Clark Highway wind through the steep terrain, tracing the riverbanks and the Camas Prairie. Significant elevation changes are marked by features like Thunder Hill and the deep cuts of Coyote Gulch and Soldiers Canyon. This survey documents a critical junction of Nez Perce culture, Pacific Northwest transport, and river-valley agriculture before modern expansion altered the rural character of the Lapwai Valley.