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1980 Map of Moonlight Peak

Name: 1980 Topographic Map of Moonlight Peak
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1985
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1985

About this map

Engel Mine and the Ruby Mine anchor the industrial geography of this high-elevation terrain on the border of Lassen and Plumas counties in the 1970s and 1980s. Steep canyons and ridges dominate the landscape, defined by Keddie Ridge to the south and Moonlight Peak to the north. Evidence of the region’s extractive history is visible in the concentrations of tailings near Warren Creek and the Gravel Pit along Cooks Creek.

The southern edge of the sheet transitions into the more open flats of North Indian Valley, where a small cemetery and Ruins suggest older settlement patterns that preceded the 1980 mapping. Water sources are critical here, with numerous springs feeding Lights Creek and its West Branch, while remote landmarks like Shake Cabin and the China Gulch tailings piles mark the extent of backcountry activity within the Lassen and Plumas National Forests.