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1948 Map of Priest Rapids

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Priest Rapids
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1979
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1979

About this map

Priest Rapids Lake dominates this mid-century landscape, a significant reservoir on the Columbia River that reshaped the local environment between the Wahluke Slope and the Umtanum Ridge. The map details the technical infrastructure of the era, including the Power House, a Fish Ladder, and a Fish Hatchery, alongside the large Priest Rapids Wildlife Recreation Area. To the west, the expansive Yakima Firing Center Military Reservation covers a terrain of deep drainages like Cow Canyon and Sourdough Canyon.

Transport and small-scale settlement are visible through the Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific railroad line skirting the river, and the small community at Mattawa. The presence of the Stewart Ranch and Borden Springs highlights the sparse but established ranching history of the area, while the extensive sand dunes on the eastern bank point to the arid, shifting nature of the central Washington desert.