1967 Map of Ritzville NW

About this map

The Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific railroad cuts a diagonal path across this high-plateau landscape, anchoring the small settlements of Packard and Marcellus in the late 1960s. The terrain is defined by the dramatic scalloping of the Channeled Scablands, where Rocky Coulee, Bauer Coulee, and Marcellus Coulee carve through the earth. These geological features dictated the placement of early infrastructure, forcing many arterial routes like Tokio Road and Schoessler Road to navigate around the steep coulee walls.