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1981 Map of Robbers Roost

Name: 1981 Topographic Map of Robbers Roost
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1981
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1981

About this map

Robbers Roost and the high desert landscape of Harney County are documented in this 1981 survey, where water management is the central theme of the geography. The map reveals a network of man-made water sources essential for survival in this arid terrain, including the Basque Hills Well and numerous catchment points like Holmes Reservoir No 2 and Ryegrass Reservoir. The dramatic topography is defined by the Catlow Rim and the Basque Hills, while named flats like Raz Lewis Flat indicate the historic use of the land by early ranchers and homesteaders.

Transportation is limited to a sparse web of 4 WD tracks that navigate the deep incisions of Funnel Canyon and Box Canyon. These tracks connect isolated landmarks such as Lone Mountain Spring and Whiskey Canyon Spring Reservoir, showing how resource extraction and livestock management shaped the human footprint in the high desert long before modern paved infrastructure reached this portion of southeastern Oregon.