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1957 Map of Thorn Creek SE

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of Thorn Creek SE
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1979
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1979

About this map

The Big Wood River serves as the focal point for this 1957 irrigation and ranching landscape at the border of Gooding and Lincoln counties. The intricate plumbing of the high desert is visible through a complex network of waterways, including the Gooding Milner Canal, High Line Canal, and the Gooding North Main Canal. These human-made features intersect with natural drainages like Preacher Creek and Portuguese Creek, demonstrating the mid-century engineering required to sustain agriculture in this arid region.

Evidence of early community infrastructure appears at the Thorn Creek Sch, located near where the Thorn Creek drainage meets the valley floor. To the south, the terrain gives way to an area marked simply as Lava, contrasting the fertile canal-fed lands with the raw volcanic geography of the Snake River Plain. The presence of the Diversion Dam and various unnamed reservoirs highlights the systematic management of water resources that defined rural life in southern Idaho during this era.