1979 Map of Priest Rapids

About this map

The Columbia River carves a dramatic path through this 1979 landscape, flanked by the Saddle Mountains and the expansive Hanford Works area to the south. This era shows a region defined by large-scale water management and restricted federal lands, with the Wanapum Dam and Priest Rapids Dam controlling the river's flow. Between the ridges of the Frenchman Hills and the Wahluke Slope, the map reveals a network of irrigation-driven agriculture evidenced by the Saddle Mountain Wasteway and Frenchman Hills Wasteway.