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1962 Map of Oak Spring Butte

Name: 1962 Topographic Map of Oak Spring Butte
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1963
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1963

About this map

The Nellis Air Force Range and the northern reaches of the Nevada Test Site dominate this Cold War-era survey of high-desert terrain. Produced in cooperation with the Atomic Energy Commission, the map documents a highly restricted landscape defined by its military and nuclear testing infrastructure. The topography is marked by the southern end of the Belted Range, which culminates here at the prominent volcanic formation of Oak Spring Butte.

Security and operation boundaries are the primary human markers on this landscape, including the Area 15 and Area 12 Bdy perimeters. While most of the area is accessible only by a primitive Jeep Trail, evidence of older mineral exploration persists in the form of scattered Prospects found near the base of the ridges. The natural drainage of Carbonate Wash cuts through the arid basins, providing a stark contrast to the rigid, artificial military reservation boundaries that partitioned this corner of Nye County during the height of American nuclear research.