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1957 Map of Puddle Springs

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of Puddle Springs
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1958
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

Isolated family outposts like the George Homestead, Ramsey Homestead, and Sherlock Homestead define this high-desert region of Wyoming during the late 1950s. The landscape is carved by a network of drainage channels, most notably Muskrat Creek, Coyote Creek, and Puddle Springs Draw, which dictate the placement of ranching operations and water management features like Reid Reservoir.

Evidence of short-lived industrial and ranching efforts appears in the Clay City Ruins and the presence of an Oil Well (Abandoned) in the northwest. This topography, mapped as part of the Department of the Interior's program for the Missouri River Basin, reveals a transition toward mid-century energy exploration, marked by the remote Airstrip and active Oil Well sites. Distinctive landforms such as Sarcophagus Butte provide orientation for those navigating this expansive terrain of the high plains.