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1905 Map of Oakesdale

Name: 1905 Topographic Map of Oakesdale
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1905
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1905

About this map

The wheat-growing Palouse country of eastern Washington is documented here during a period of intense rail development and agricultural expansion. Oakesdale sits at the center of a complex transportation network where the Northern Pacific RR and the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company converge, facilitating the movement of grain from the surrounding buttes and valleys. The landscape is defined by its distinctive geological formations, most notably the prominent Steptoe Butte and Tekoa Mountain, which stand above the undulating hills.

To the east, the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation marks the boundary into Idaho, with the Washington Idaho line bisecting several settlements. Smaller communities such as Rosalia, Farmington, and Fairfield serve as regional hubs along the many watercourses like Hangman Creek and Pine Creek. The detailed mapping of various buttes, including Dunlap Butte and Stratton Butte, illustrates the unique topography that would become world-famous for its dry-land farming productivity.