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1981 Map of Red Lookout Butte

Name: 1981 Topographic Map of Red Lookout Butte
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1982
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1982

About this map

Red Lookout Butte serves as a prominent high point in this corner of Harney County, overlooking a landscape defined by volcanic geology and the practicalities of high-desert water management. To the south, the terrain rises sharply into Buckskin Mountain, where a series of water catchments including Buckskin Res No 3 and Buckskin Res No 2 were established to support livestock and wildlife. These features, along with Buckskin Spring, represent the vital water sources required to sustain life in an arid environment.

The western portion of the quadrangle is dominated by the Tule Springs Rims, a dramatic escarpment falling away toward a broad Depression. Remote infrastructure is scattered across the flats, including the Calderwood Desert Well and several Guzzlers, which are specialized water collection devices. A single Radio Tower on the southern heights suggests the importance of communications in this sparsely populated region of southeastern Oregon during the early 1980s.