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2011 Map of Vale West

Name: 2011 Topographic Map of Vale West
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2011
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2011

About this map

Vale sits at the eastern edge of this landscape where the high desert meets a complex network of managed water. The town serves as a focal point for the region's agricultural infrastructure, which is sustained by an intricate system of canals and drains including the Vale Oregon Main Canal, Farmers Ditch, and J-H Canal. This infrastructure supports the fields spread across the East Bench and West Bench, highlighting the transformation of the arid Malheur County terrain into productive land.

Water management defines the geography, with the Malheur River and Bully Creek winding through the center, feeding into various irrigation projects. To the south, the terrain transitions into more dramatic landforms such as Sand Hollow and Jamieson Gulch. Local aviation history is represented by the Miller Memorial Airpark, while remote landmarks like Oil Well Spring and Johnston Gulch Reservoir point to the varied uses of the outlying rangeland in the early 21st century.