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1960 Map of Packsaddle Creek

Name: 1960 Topographic Map of Packsaddle Creek
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1962
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1962

About this map

The petroleum industry in the Bighorn Basin is the defining characteristic of this landscape on the border of Washakie and Hot Springs counties. Extensive infrastructure for the Murphy Dome Oil Field and the Black Mountain Oil Field is documented in detail, showing numerous oil wells, drill holes, and a network of pipelines and unimproved dirt roads. The rugged topography is dominated by the Black Mountain Divide, a significant ridge that separates drainage systems feeding into the Black Mountain region.

Water sources in this arid environment are primarily intermittent, marked by named drainages such as Packsaddle Creek, Lake Creek, and Kirby Creek. Local transit is facilitated by the Black Mountain Road, which snakes through the uneven terrain. The map serves as a record of mid-century industrial extraction in Wyoming, capturing the placement of specific wells and the gravel pits used for road maintenance across these remote basins.