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1987 Map of Piper Peak

Name: 1987 Topographic Map of Piper Peak
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1987
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1987

About this map

Piper Peak 9450 anchors this survey of the high desert terrain within the Silver Peak Range. The landscape is defined by its verticality and water scarcity, with drainage networks like Icehouse Canyon, McAfee Canyon, and Piper Canyon cutting deep paths through the high country toward the Fish Lake Valley floor. This 1980s provisional map reveals a world of active and former extraction efforts, indicated by numerous Prospects and a Borrow Pit near the valley edge.

Water sources such as Jeff Davis Spring and Blind Spring appear as critical landmarks in an otherwise arid environment. The presence of several 4wd tracks and routes through the canyons, including White Wolf Canyon, suggests a land primarily accessed for mineral exploration and high-elevation surveying. This edition reflects the character of Esmeralda County as it remained in the late 20th century, where geography is dominated by natural peaks like Sugar Peak and the legacy of the mining industry.