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1970 Map of Poison Basin

Name: 1970 Topographic Map of Poison Basin
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1973
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1973

About this map

The Little Snake River defines the southern reach of this Wyoming and Colorado borderlands landscape, where early 1970s resource extraction and water management are the primary drivers of human activity. The map reveals a high-desert environment heavily marked by energy exploration, featuring numerous Drill Holes, Gas Wells, and Oil Wells scattered across the Poison Basin and near the Poison Buttes. Irrigation and livestock management are equally prominent, evidenced by the intricate network of the Woodbury Ditch and Gibson Blair Ditch winding through the river valley.

Water storage is critical in this arid terrain, shown through several named catchments like Dead Tree Reservoir, Long Walk Reservoir, and River Bottom Reservoir. The topography is dominated by the prominent Red Creek Rim, which overlooks a series of drainage systems including Red Creek, Shell Creek, and Hangout Draw. This survey captures the transition from traditional ranching infrastructure to an intensifying industrial footprint during the early 1970s.