Loading map...

1955 Map of Norden

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Norden
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1980
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1980

About this map

Donner Pass stands as the central pivot of this Sierra Nevada landscape, where the historic transit corridor of the Southern Pacific railroad traverses the crest through a complex system of snowsheds and a Railroad Tunnel. The map details a high-altitude wilderness at the junction of Nevada and Placer counties, revealing the early development of winter recreation at Sugar Bowl and the Norden area. Settlement is sparse and focused on transit and forestry, evidenced by the Old Stanford Wood Camp (Site) and the isolated community of The Cedars.

Water bodies like Donner Lake and Lake Van Norden anchor the eastern and western slopes respectively, while the alpine terrain is punctuated by landmarks such as Peter Grubb Hut and the Airway Beacon atop Lytton Lake ridge. The cartography captures the infrastructure of the mid-20th century, from the Aerial Tramway serving ski slopes to the remote rail siding at Eder, reflecting an era when the pass remained a critical, albeit winter-challenged, artery for both industry and nascent mountain tourism.