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1951 Map of Priest Rapids

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Priest Rapids
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1951
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1951

About this map

The Columbia River cuts through this landscape, creating the treacherous Priest Rapids and shaping the steep elevations of Umtanum Ridge. This 1951 survey, conducted by the Geological Survey and Bureau of Reclamation, documents a region defined by large family holdings and early water management. Named landmarks like Emerson Nipple and Cairn Hope Pk provide orientation points across a terrain of deep canyons and high ridges.

Evidence of early ranching is pervasive, with labels for the Taylor Ranch, Meeboer Ranch, and Stewart Ranch. The infrastructure of the era is represented by the Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific railroad and the solitary Black Rock Cem in the Black Rock Valley. The map also captures specialized features such as the Artesian Well and Barrel Springs Well, critical water sources for the high desert flats of the Wahluke Slope.