1972 Map of Shumway Reservoir

About this map

Shumway Ranch sits at the heart of this high-desert ranching landscape in Malheur County, where water management is the defining feature of the terrain. The 1972 survey reveals an extensive network of small-scale impoundments and catchments necessary for livestock and survival in this arid environment, including Arrien Reservoir, Shumway Reservoir, and Skull Springs Reservoir. These man-made features are connected by a system of primitive routes such as the Jeep Trail, illustrating how remote operations were maintained before modern infrastructure. The map also records early 20th-century remnants at Creston and numerous family-named landmarks like McConnell Springs and Arrien Res No 6. This concentration of localized water sources and named springs like Fenton Spring and Wire Corral Springs provides critical data for those researching the agricultural history and land-use patterns of eastern Oregon.