1956 Map of Silurian Hills

About this map

The arid landscape of the Silurian Lake basin is defined by the ephemeral tracks of desert hydrology and the remnants of early 20th-century transport networks. By the mid-1950s, several outposts along the former Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad corridor had transitioned to historical markers, including Sperry, Dumont, and Valjean. The presence of an Old Railroad Grade stretching through the Valjean Valley serves as a reminder of the region's mining and railroad era, while the active settlement at Renoville provides a contrast to the surrounding ghost sites like Riggs. Desert geography dominates the sheet, from the shifting Dumont Sand Dunes to the intricate drainage patterns of Kingston Wash and Salt Creek, which terminate in the expansive playa of the Silurian dry lake bed.