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1955 Map of Sierra City

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Sierra City
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1957
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

Sierra City stands as a focal point in this mid-century survey of the Northern Sierra Nevada, anchored by a legacy of gold mining and high-altitude recreation. The landscape is dense with lode mining history, featuring the Sierra Buttes Mine, Keystone Mine, and Jamison Mine, along with numerous prospects like the Hawley Prospect. These industrial sites are interspersed with the emerging 1950s vacation culture seen at Mc Lear Resort, Gold Lake Lodge, and various youth camps such as the Sacramento Boy Scout Camp.

Transport and water management define the region's development, from the Abandoned RR in Plumas National Forest to the complex Milton-Bowman Tunnel and Milton Reservoir system. The geography is characterized by the dramatic Sierra Buttes and the alpine waters of the Lakes Basin, where numerous glacial lakes like Gold Lake and Sardine Lake provided the backdrop for both early extraction and the mid-century rise of mountain tourism at sites like Salmon Lake Resort.