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1885 Map of Sevier Desert

Name: 1885 Topographic Map of Sevier Desert
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1921
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1921

About this map

The Central Pacific Railroad traces a winding path across this high desert landscape, connecting the Sevier Desert to the burgeoning mining districts in the northeast. This region, captured during the late nineteenth-century mining boom, shows a concentrated network of settlements including Eureka, Silver City, Diamond City, and Tintic tucked between the West Tintic Mountains and East Tintic Mountains. These towns served as the industrial hubs for the mineral-rich Tintic district during its most productive years.

Water remains the critical anchor for settlement further south, where the Sevier River supports Deseret and the Beaver River flows near Holden. The vast arid plains are broken by distinctive volcanic and tectonic features like Pavant Butte and the Cricket Mountains. The map also delineates early forest boundaries, including sections of the Wasatch National Forest and Fillmore National Forest, reflecting the era's transition toward federal land management in the West.