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1956 Map of Mae

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Mae
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1957
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

Potholes Reservoir dominates the eastern half of this landscape, its complex shoreline and island-dotted waters reflecting the mid-century transformation of the Columbia Basin. Surveyed by the USBR and USGS during the mid-1950s, the map illustrates the dramatic meeting of water and desert, where the rising reservoir levels began to fill the depressions of The Potholes and press against extensive fields of Sand Dunes.

North of the water, the small settlement of Mae sits at the head of Mae Valley, supported by nearby agricultural infrastructure such as the local Cemetery and various wells. Further west, Hiawatha Valley cuts through the terrain, while the label for Camas marks a secondary point of activity. This document captures a critical moment in Washington's water management history, showing the transition from arid desert to a managed irrigation landscape just after the reservoir's initial filling in 1956.