2023 Map of Malheur Butte

About this map

Malheur Butte rises prominently over the eastern Vale Valley, serving as a geologically distinct anchor for this high-desert landscape. The intricate irrigation network, including the Owyhee Canal, Brosman Ditch, and the engineering of the Malheur Siphon, illustrates the heavy reliance on water management to support agriculture in this part of Malheur County. To the east, the western edge of Ontario and the Ontario Municipal Airport show the modern expansion of the region's primary hub. Between the river and the northern gulches like North Fork Jacobsen Gulch, the landscape transitions from industrial and residential zones at Ontario Heights to the open, channeled drainage basins of the Malheur River. This 2023 survey documents a landscape defined by its water infrastructure, tracing how man-made canals and natural gulches dictate the placement of roads and homesteads.