2014 Map of Mormon Basin

About this map

Mormon Basin defines the central topography of this high-country survey along the boundary of Baker and Malheur Counties. The area is marked by a significant concentration of gold-mining history, anchored by a prominent Gold Mine and a network of named drainages that suggest the era of prospecting. Prospectors and early settlers left their mark on the landscape with evocative names such as Rich Gulch, Glengarry Gulch, French Gulch, and Last Chance Gulch. These features radiate from the basin and the slopes of California Mtn, where numerous springs like Mattie Spring and Rooster Comb Spring provided essential water in this arid terrain. The map captures a landscape defined by the legacies of resource extraction and the survival of early mountain routes like Rye Valley RD and Mormon Basin RD, which follow the natural contours of the high desert peaks and deep canyons.