1984 Map of Twelvemile Spring

About this map

Mining operations and remote desert hydrology define this 1984 survey of eastern Inyo County. The landscape is dominated by the massive Resting Spring Range and the Nopah Range, which flank the broad expanse of the Chicago Valley. This area represents a classic Great Basin environment where resource extraction was the primary human imprint, evidenced by the presence of the Baxter Mine in the north and the Red Wing Mine and Gerstley Mine further south. These sites provide a record of the mid-to-late 20th-century mineral exploration in this corner of the Mojave Desert. Critical water sources like Twelvemile Spring stand out as essential landmarks in an otherwise arid terrain, highlighting the points of survival and settlement that guided early prospecting and travel routes between these mountain blocks.