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1953 Map of Pinto Summit

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Pinto Summit
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1965
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1965

About this map

The Lincoln Highway cuts across the arid basin of Newark Valley in this survey of the high desert along the Eureka Co White Pine Co line. The map captures a landscape defined by 19th-century mining heritage and remote ranching outposts. Clustered near Pinto Summit, a dense network of silver and lead operations like the Bullwhacker Mine, Eldorado Tunnel, and Windfall Mine reveal the intensive subterranean activity that once drove the local economy.

Down in the valley, the transition to a pastoral economy is visible at the Pinto Creek Ranch and Fish Creek Ranch, where life centered around vital water sources like Fish Creek Reservoir. The presence of the Eighteenmile House (Site) along the historic highway corridor points to the era of stage stops and early transcontinental travel, while a lonely Landing Field near the Alhambra Hills speaks to the mid-century reliance on small-scale aviation in the Great Basin.