1961 Map of Packwood Creek

About this map

Poso Ortega lies in the high desert transition between the Temblor Range and the Shale Hills, marking a landscape defined by ranching and resource extraction in the early 1960s. This survey, conducted by the State of California Department of Water Resources and the USGS, documents the infrastructure of the era including the Butterwater Pumping Station and an extensive Pipeline traversing the hills. The map highlights the sparse water sources critical to this arid environment, such as Sulphur Spring, Bitterwater Spring, and the seasonal flows of Packwood Creek and Bitterwater Creek. The terrain is characterized by broad alluvial features like Miller Flats and the steep elevation of Yeguas Mountain, which rises above Cedar Canyon. Small-scale prospecting is evident near the Bitterwater Valley, providing a record of local mineral interests alongside established cattle trails and jeep tracks.