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1950 Map of Virginia City

Name: 1950 Topographic Map of Virginia City
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1972
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1972

About this map

Virginia City sits at the base of the high peaks within the Beaverhead Mountains, serving as a focal point for this 1950 survey. The landscape is heavily marked by the region's mining heritage, with a dense concentration of workings such as the Alameda Mine, Black Rock Mine, and El Ebano Mine clustered in the gulches near the settlement. These claims follow the rugged topography south of Ramshorn Mountain and South Baldy Mountain, where the timber of the Beaverhead National Forest meets the rocky ridges.

Drainage systems like South Meadow Creek and Washington Creek flow from alpine sources including Lupine Lake and South Meadow Creek Lake, supporting local operations and the South Meadow Creek Ranger Station. To the east, the terrain descends toward the Madison River valley, where the Thexton Ranch and Blaine Spring Creek indicate a shift toward ranching and water management. This map captures the intersection of hard-rock mining and high-country forestry at mid-century.