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1970 Map of Sun Creek NW

Name: 1970 Topographic Map of Sun Creek NW
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1973
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1973

About this map

O'Neil Basin defines the central geography of this high-desert Elko County landscape, where the seasonal drainage of Sun Creek cuts a winding path toward the southeast. Surveyed in the late 1960s, the map reveals a remote ranching and grazing territory anchored by the Humboldt National Forest boundary along its western edge. The land is marked by a network of ephemeral water sources critical for livestock and wildlife, including Antelope Spring, Buffalo Spring, and the clustered Springs near the basin floor.

Evidence of human activity is sparse but specific, centered on a small Camp and a remote Landing Strip located south of Cottonwood Creek. A maze of Jeep Trails provides the only access through the sagebrush and mountain brush, connecting isolated corrals and water points like Willow Spring. The map documents a traditional western landscape where survival depended on the careful management of water in a vast, open territory.