1969 Map of Mule Deer Ridge NW

About this map

Desert Lake and its surrounding arid basin dominate this 1960s landscape within the Desert National Wildlife Range. The map reveals a transition from the stark dry lake bed through a field of Sand Dunes into the dramatic elevations of the Sheep Range to the east and the East Desert Range to the west. Evidence of human activity in this remote Lincoln County terrain is minimal but documented through a network of Jeep Trails, a lonely Corral, and unidentified Ruins tucked near the base of the mountains. This survey, based on 1967 aerial photography, captures the basin's primitive infrastructure and natural topography before significant modern changes, serving as a specific record of high-desert navigation and land use in the late twentieth century.