Loading map...

1980 Map of Sand Pass

Name: 1980 Topographic Map of Sand Pass
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1980
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1980

About this map

Smoke Creek Desert and the Pyramid Lake Reservation meet in this 1980 survey of the high desert terrain of Washoe County. The landscape is defined by its water sources, recorded through a series of named outflows including Laird Spring, Rotten Egg Spring, and Sulphur Spring, which were vital for the region's sparse ranching and transit activity. At Sand Pass, the Western Pacific railroad cuts through the arid basin, providing a critical transport link along the southern edge of the Terraced Hills.

Human activity is concentrated at isolated outposts like the Bonham Ranch, which features a Landing Strip and Round Hole Spring. Further west, the map details the high-altitude Dry Valley and its namesake Dry Valley Corrals at the base of Mission Peak. A lone Grave near the northern boundary serves as a quiet reminder of the area's pioneer and homesteading history, documenting a solitary site of genealogical significance in an otherwise sparsely populated environment.