1981 Map of Sheepshead Spring

About this map

Smoke Creek flows through this arid landscape, which in the early 1980s was defined by sparse ranching outposts and a network of desert springs. The site of the Sheepshead Ranch and the nearby Cornell Place mark the historical footprint of human habitation in this corner of Washoe County. The map provides a detailed view of the water resources essential for survival in the Smoke Creek Desert, identifying numerous Flowing Wells, the Lower Smoke Creek Corral, and several named wells like Bonham Well. The western portion of the map is dominated by the steep terrain of the Buffalo Hills, carved by Black Diamond Canyon and Buckbrush Canyon. To the southeast, the terrain levels out into the Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation, where the alkali landscape meets the broad, flat expanses characteristic of this northern Nevada basin.