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1912 Map of Moses Lake

Name: 1912 Topographic Map of Moses Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1939
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1939

About this map

Moses Lake dominates the central landscape of this 1912 survey, its distinctive fingers—Lewis Horn, Parker Horn, and Pelican Horn—reaching into the arid Grant County terrain. The settlement of Neppel sits at the edge of the water, a focal point of early development alongside the Northern Pacific railroad. To the south, the complex wetland system of The Potholes creates a stark contrast to the surrounding plateau, where Crab Creek and several springs provided critical water in an otherwise dry region.

Rural life in the early twentieth century is mapped through isolated educational hubs like West Shore School, Hiawatha School, and Camas Mounds School. These small landmarks, along with the settlement of Mae, reveal the footprint of homesteaders and ranchers before the widespread irrigation projects of the mid-century. The infrastructure of the era is further defined by the C. M. & St. P. Ry. corridor, which traces the southern edge of the lake’s watershed.