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1979 Map of Rush Valley

Name: 1979 Topographic Map of Rush Valley
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1985
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1985

About this map

The vast military corridors of the Tooele Army Depot and the eastern fringes of the Dugway Proving Ground dominate this 1970s landscape, reflecting the strategic importance of the Utah desert during the Cold War. Between the peaks of the Onaqui Mountains and the Oquirrh Mountains, the basin is dotted with historic mining and railroad history. Small settlements like Ophir and Mercur sit in the canyons of the Oquirrhs, while the Union Pacific line serves valley stations such as St John Station.

Cultural sites such as the Camp Floyd State Historical Site and the Skull Valley Indian Reservation provide a deeper look into the region's layered history of settlement and displacement. The map also captures the transition from high-mountain terrain in the Wasatch National Forest to the arid valley floor, where Rush Lake and various sinks mark the internal drainage patterns typical of the Great Basin.