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1968 Map of Mesa Butte

Name: 1968 Topographic Map of Mesa Butte
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1987
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1987

About this map

Coal Cliffs and the Molen Reef dominate this Emery County landscape, where the geological strata of the San Rafael Swell area are laid bare by the erosive forces of Muddy Creek and Ivie Creek. The map records a remote section of the Colorado Plateau as it appeared in the late 1960s, showing early resource extraction sites like the Cowboy Mine and various unnamed prospects scattered through the canyons.

Transport through this difficult terrain is marked by several jeep trails and a notable river ford at Lone Tree Crossing. The intersection of drainage systems, including Christiansen Wash and Mulligan Wash, shapes the topography around landmarks such as Mesa Butte and the broad Sand Bench. These features illustrate the precarious balance of water and travel in high-desert environments prior to modern infrastructure developments in the region.