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2021 Map of Soda Lake West

Name: 2021 Topographic Map of Soda Lake West
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2021
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2021

About this map

Lahontan Valley water management and desert transit define this landscape where the Carson River meets complex irrigation networks. The southern half of the sheet shows the engineered precision of the T Line Canal and N Line Canal, essential infrastructure that reclaimed land for agricultural use in the Swingle Bench area. These man-made channels contrast with the natural depression of the Fortymile Desert to the north, a name that recalls the arduous trek of early emigrants across this arid stretch of the Nevada basin.

The Union Pacific railroad line cuts through the northwestern corner near the settlement of Massie, following the same corridor as the Massie Slough. To the southeast, the hydrogeology of the region is punctuated by Soda Lake and Little Soda Lake, distinctive volcanic craters that serve as local landmarks. The transition from the wetlands of Mahala Sloughs to the structured grid of rural roads like Carr LN and Fulkerson RD illustrates the ongoing human effort to stabilize and inhabit this corner of Churchill County.