1961 Map of Topopah Spring SW

About this map

Yucca Mountain dominates the western landscape of this 1961 survey, a region defined by its role in American military and nuclear history. This map was produced by the Geological Survey in cooperation with the Atomic Energy Commission, reflecting the strategic importance of the Nevada Test Site and the Nellis Air Force Range which divide the terrain. The eastern portion of the quadrangle descends from the volcanic ridges into the broad desert expanse of Jackass Flats. Drainage is marked by the prominent Fortymile Wash, which cuts south through the arid basin. Historically significant for its connection to Cold War-era federal land use, the map shows a landscape largely devoid of permanent civilian settlement, instead crisscrossed by a network of a Jeep Trail and survey markers such as those near the Calico Hills on the northeastern margin.