1961 Map of Pole Gulch

About this map

The Emigrant Trail Bridger Pass Road cuts through this high desert landscape of Carbon County, tracing a historic path of westward expansion. Surveyed in the early 1960s, the terrain is defined by a network of drainage systems like Muddy Creek and McKinney Creek that feed into the larger river basin. Evidence of early land claims and ranching life is preserved at the McKeen Homestead, situated near the confluence of local draws. The geography is characterized by rugged depressions such as Pole Gulch and Horse Draw, which lead toward the rising elevations of the Sierra Madre. Small water sources, including a Flowing Well and several unnamed springs, provided essential relief in an area primarily accessible via a Jeep Trail. This survey captures the region just before modern developments, maintaining the footprint of the old trails that once guided pioneers across the Continental Divide.