1954 Map of Mt. Waas 3 NW

About this map

The Colorado River carves a deep path through this eastern Utah landscape, which was documented just before the region's mid-century uranium boom accelerated local development. The map shows the Arches National Monument Boundary in the northwest, representing the early federal footprint in a territory defined by massive geographic features like Dry Mesa and Squaw Park. Human presence is sparse, centered on small outposts such as White Ranch along the river banks and the expansive bottomlands of Castle Valley and Professor Valley. These canyons and plateaus, including Mat Martin Point, appear here as they were in the mid-1950s, reachable primarily by the winding route of State Road 128 and various unimproved tracks following the drainage of Placer Creek.