1983 Map of Nipton

About this map

Nipton serves as a lonely outpost along the Union Pacific tracks in this high desert landscape during the early 1980s. The map illustrates a harsh, arid environment dominated by the expansive Ivanpah Valley and the dry bed of Ivanpah Lake. Historical political boundaries are a defining characteristic here, specifically the Von Schmidt Line (1873) (Approx) marking the border between San Bernardino Co and Nevada. Water sources are scarce but critical to the area's utility, marked by features such as Mesquite Holes and Murphy Well. This provisional survey records the stark geography of the Mojave Desert at a time when rail transport remained the primary link between these remote settlements and the outside world.