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1995 Map of Sharp Ridge

Name: 1995 Topographic Map of Sharp Ridge
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1998
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1998

About this map

Sharp Ridge defines the high divide between the Umatilla National Forest and Malheur National Forest in this mid-1990s survey. The landscape is characterized by a dense network of mountain springs and high-elevation meadows, such as Pizer Meadow and Howard Meadow, which have long served as significant landmarks for forest navigation. Resource extraction is evident through scattered sites like Keenley Mine and several unnamed quarries, pointing to the region's history of small-scale mining and road building.

The drainage patterns are particularly intricate, with Desolation Creek and McKinney Creek carving deep into the terrain. Remote features like Prospect Gulch and Shumway Meadow highlight the isolation of this part of the Blue Mountains. This survey preserves the late-20th-century forest boundaries and the specific locations of water sources like Cherry Spring and Oasis Spring before modern fire cycles and environmental changes altered the backcountry landscape.