1968 Map of Ventosa

About this map

Western Pacific tracks cut diagonally through this high-desert basin in Elko County, centering on the rail siding at Ventosa. The landscape is defined by extensive hydrologic depressions, where runoff from surrounding heights gathers in Clover Valley and Independence Valley. These low-lying areas are characterized by ephemeral water features like The Slough and Little Lake, alongside human interventions for water management such as the Bapt Reservoir. To the south, the terrain rises sharply toward the prominent Spruce Mtn Ridge, terminating at Spruce Point. This 1960s survey illustrates a specialized ranching and transit landscape, where remote outposts like Alkali Flat and vital water sources like Point Spring supported the operations of a sparsely populated interior basin during the mid-twentieth century.