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2017 Map of Phillips Lake

Name: 2017 Topographic Map of Phillips Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2017
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2017

About this map

Sumpter Valley defines the central corridor of this survey, where the Powder River is harnessed for irrigation and storage. The vast Phillips Lake reservoir dominates the landscape, supported by a complex network of historic water management features including the Farmers Ditch and the McEwen Valley Ditch. These systems reflect a legacy of hydraulic manipulation in a region where water rights and mineral extraction shaped the land.

Settlement history is concentrated near the northern valley floor at McEwen, where the McEwen Cem remains a primary genealogical marker for the area's early residents. To the south, McHenry Flat and McHenry Spring denote family-named landmarks within the sprawling Whitman National Forest. The surrounding terrain rises sharply toward Elkhorn Ridge and Black Mtn, revealing a landscape carved by numerous seasonal drainages like Rockne Gulch and Stovepipe Gulch.