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1956 Map of Olancha

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Olancha
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1961
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1961

About this map

The eastern shore of the Owens Lake basin is defined by the industrial and transport infrastructure of the mid-1950s, where the Southern Pacific RR and a large pipeline parallel the Los Angeles Aqueduct. This corridor supports several resource-based sites, including soda evaporators near Bartlett and historic Charcoal Kilns further south. The settlement of Olancha serves as a hub with its High Sch and Olancha Siding, while Cartago sits at the southern tip of the lake bed.

Rising west into the Inyo National Forest, the landscape shifts to a network of high-altitude meadows and camps. Remote sites like Golden Trout Camp and Brown Cow Camp are reached by trails passing through Cottonwood Pass and Mulkey Pass. The transition from the industrial valley floor to the high wilderness is marked by the Cottonwood Power Plant and Cottonwood Sawmill, illustrating how the region's water and timber were actively managed during this era.