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1951 Map of Mule Butte

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Mule Butte
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1978
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1978

About this map

Wind River Indian Reservation lands dominate this central Wyoming landscape, where the confluence of complex irrigation engineering and natural watercourses shaped mid-century settlement. The Wind River and Little Wind River are the primary arteries here, redirected through the Riverton Reclamation Project and the Le Clair Canal. This network of man-made waterways, including the Ethete Ditch and Blackburn Ditch, illustrates the intensive efforts to reclaim the arid Johnstown Valley for agriculture.

Local history is deeply rooted in the family and community markers found throughout the quadrangle, such as St Michael church and several named burial sites including Le Clair Cem, Yellow Calf Cem, and Shakespear Cem. From the heights of Mule Butte to the small community of Johnstown, the map provides a look at the rural infrastructure of Riverview Valley before later modern developments, including a private Landing Field and various river-control structures like the Le Clair Diversion Dam.