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1962 Map of Sams Canyon

Name: 1962 Topographic Map of Sams Canyon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1963
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1963

About this map

Strawberry River flows across the northern edge of this high-elevation landscape in Duchesne County, where a complex network of drainage systems defines the topography. The map illustrates the rugged transition between the Avintaquin Canyon and the massive basin of Sams Canyon, marked by numerous branching draws and hollows such as Hoodoo Canyon and Raspberry Hollow. Natural water sources were critical for the era's land use, as evidenced by named points like O'Driscoll Spring and Big Spring.

Resource extraction and transit in the early 1960s are captured through the presence of the Frank Mine and Payne Mine in the northeastern quadrant. These operations are connected by a network of unimproved roads and a Jeep Trail that climbs through the canyons. The layout of East Fork Sams Canyon and the Right Fork of Indian Canyon shows how the terrain dictated movement through this part of the Uintah Basin prior to modern development.