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1953 Map of Ritzville

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Ritzville
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1966
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1966

About this map

The Grand Coulee Dam anchors the northern reaches of this mid-century landscape, a massive engineering feat that transformed the Columbia Basin through the creation of Franklin D Roosevelt Lake. To the south, the Columbia Basin Project is evident in the intricate network of the West Canal and East Low Canal, which feed the Potholes Reservoir and Banks Lake. This irrigation infrastructure fundamentally altered the high desert, supporting new agricultural settlements alongside older rail hubs like Ritzville, Odessa, and Davenport.

Strategic military and industrial footprints are scattered across the plateau, from Larson Air Force Base near Moses Lake to the Spokane Molybdenum Mine in the northeast. The terrain is a complex mix of basalt coulees and scablands, featuring landmarks such as Steamboat Rock and the Beezley Hills. This era marks the height of the region's rail-and-water economy, with the Great Northern and Northern Pacific railroads threading through the wheat-growing country of Lincoln County and Adams County.