Loading map...

1968 Map of Monument Butte

Name: 1968 Topographic Map of Monument Butte
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1971
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1971

About this map

The Emigrant Trail (Sublette Cutoff) traces the northern horizon of this high-desert landscape, representing a vital historical shortcut for mid-19th-century travelers. By the late 1960s, the terrain south of the trail had become a network of ranching and resource roads, including the Hunt Road and Colorado Road. The map reveals a reliance on isolated water points in an arid environment, marked by named sources such as Monument Butte Well and Little Colorado Well No 13.

Topographic features like the prominent Monument Butte and the Eighteenmile Knoll provide natural navigation landmarks in a region carved by Buckhorn Canyon and Slate Creek. The presence of scattered drill holes and unimproved jeep trails suggests a landscape shifting between traditional livestock grazing and modern geological exploration. This 1968 survey captures the intersection of Westward expansion history and the mid-century industrial footprint in Sweetwater County.