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1956 Map of Oreana

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Oreana
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1957
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

The Humboldt River corridor defines this mid-century landscape in Pershing County, where the infrastructure of the Southern Pacific railroad parallels the waterway. A complex network of irrigation and industry is evident, from the Rye Patch Reservoir and Rye Patch Dam at the northern edge to the Crystal Lakes Trout Farm and several family-named homesteads such as Salinas Ranch and Cole Ranch. The map captures a moment when traditional ranching and large-scale water management intersected with the region's deep-rooted mining economy.

In the rugged high ground of the Trinity Range, the map documents numerous lode claims and workings, including the Montezyma Mine, Jersey Mine, and the cluster at Arabia. Old transportation routes like the Emigrant Road and Old Emigrant Road trace the historical movement of people through this corridor, while agricultural developments like the Taylor Canal and the County Fish Holding Pond illustrate the mid-century transformation of the desert floor.