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1885 Map of Tooele Valley

Name: 1885 Topographic Map of Tooele Valley
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1905
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1905

About this map

Tooele and its neighboring valleys appear here at a pivotal moment for territorial development, showing the expansion of mining and agriculture before the modern infrastructure of the twentieth century. The map highlights early industrial corridors such as the Utah and Nevada R. R., which links the southern shores of the Great Salt Lake to the foothills of the Oquirrh Mountains. Mining activity is evident in the dense settlement patterns around Ophir, Lewiston, and Bingham, locations that would soon become world-renowned for their mineral output.

The landscape is defined by a series of north-south mountain ranges including the Stansbury Mountains and the Cedar Mountains, which separate the fertile Rush Valley from the arid Skull Valley. Notable historic outposts like Fausts and Vernon mark the southern reaches of the survey, while the northern shoreline features prominent landmarks such as Black Rock and Lake Point. This layout illustrates how the availability of water, found at sites like Fremont Spring, dictated the placement of small communities and ranching operations.