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1953 Map of McDonald Spring

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of McDonald Spring
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1957
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

The Yakima Firing Center Military Reservation dominates this mid-century landscape in Kittitas County, where the southern slopes of the Saddle Mountains descend into a network of drainage basins. The map illustrates a transitional period of land use, where rugged topographical features meet military controlled territory. Key water sources like McDonald Spring and Hanson Creek are clearly marked amidst the complex elevation contours of the region.

Industrial activity is evidenced by the Silica Mines located in the southwestern corner, situated near the banks of Squaw Creek. The presence of these mines and the extensive boundaries of the firing center suggest an area defined by specialized government and extraction activities rather than residential settlement. Small drainages such as North Fork Squaw Creek and Cottonwood Creek carve through the terrain, providing essential landmarks for navigating this high-desert environment.