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1917 Map of Priest Rapids

Name: 1917 Topographic Map of Priest Rapids
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1917
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1917

About this map

Columbia River white water and the expansive Rattlesnake Hills dominate this early twentieth-century survey of south-central Washington. The landscape is defined by the sharp bend of the river at Priest Rapids, where an early Power Plant stands near the Chicago Milwaukee and St Paul railroad line. This period shows a sparse but organized network of remote outposts and river crossings, including Richmond Ferry and the riverside settlement of Vernita.

Away from the water, the map reveals the rugged character of the Black Rock Valley and numerous isolated homesteads such as Figure 2 Ranch, New York Ranch, and Bechts Ranch. Topographical markers like Emerson Nipple and Cairo Hope Pk provide reference points in a terrain marked by deep canyons, including Sourdough Canyon and McCoy Canyon, illustrating the challenging environment faced by early ranchers and rail workers in the region.