1964 Map of Thornton

About this map

Thornton and Sunset anchor the northern reaches of this Whitman County landscape, where the Union Pacific railroad carves through the rolling Palouse terrain. The rail line follows the natural corridor of Thorn Creek, passing near several small sidings and communities including Barnes and Trowbridge. In the 1960s, this region remained heavily focused on agriculture and transport, as evidenced by the Landing Strip in Pleasant Valley and a local Gravel Pit near Sunset. Revisions made in the mid-1980s highlight shifting infrastructure, most notably the classification of certain rail segments as Abandoned south of Thornton. From the Cem (cemetery) north of Thornton down to the winding Cottonwood Creek, the map provides a clear look at the rural homesteads and drainage patterns like Hastings Gulch that define this inland Washington wheat-growing territory.