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1959 Map of Reno

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Reno
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

Reno and Sparks serve as the primary urban hubs in this 1957 record of Western Nevada, a landscape defined by the stark contrasts of the high desert and the Sierra Nevada range. To the south, the state capital at Carson City sits near the shores of Lake Tahoe, while the interior is dominated by terminal basins like Pyramid Lake and the massive Carson Sink. The era's Cold War footprint is visible at Stead AFB and various Navy Bombing Target Areas north of the Desert Mountains.

Water management and transportation networks dictate the settlement patterns here, from the intensive irrigation systems of the Lahontan Reservoir and various canals like the T Canal, to the vital corridors of the Southern Pacific RR and US Highway 40. Historical markers such as the Pony Express Monument and Fort Churchill reflect the region's deep connection to early westward expansion routes, while the Stillwater Wildlife Management Area preserves the delicate wetlands of the Carson River's terminus.