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1955 Map of Sierra City

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Sierra City
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1964
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1964

About this map

Sierra Buttes towers over the landscape of the Northern Sierra Nevada, serving as the dramatic centerpiece for an era of intensive hard-rock mining and mountain recreation. The 1955 survey documents a high-altitude economy transitioning from its gold-rush roots to a destination for campers and summer residents. Heavy mining activity is concentrated along the North Fork Yuba River, with historic operations like the Sierra Buttes Mine, Empire Mine, and Keystone Mine dotting the drainages near Sierra City and Loganville.

Further north, the Lakes Basin area around Gold Lake is characterized by a dense network of seasonal camps and lodges, including the Gold Lake Lodge and Salmon Lake Resort. This region, largely contained within the Plumas National Forest and Tahoe National Forest, shows a sophisticated system of high-country water management and timber access, visible through the numerous guard stations and specialized camps such as the Sacramento Boy Scout Camp and Diablo Valley Girl Scout Camp.