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1987 Map of Vya

Name: 1987 Topographic Map of Vya
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1987
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1987

About this map

Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge dominates this high-desert landscape in the late 1980s, spanning the borderlands where Nevada meets Oregon and California. The remote settlement of Vya serves as a lone waypoint in Long Valley, a massive north-south depression defined by ephemeral water bodies such as Alkali Lake and Middle Lake. To the east, the terrain rises toward the Black Rock Range and the Summit Lake Indian Reservation, revealing a complex geological history through features like Bitner Butte and the Ghost Hills.

Mineral interest is concentrated on the eastern slopes of the Virgin Valley, where the Virgin Mine and Rainbow Ridge Mine are located. The map illustrates a region where water is the primary architect of the landscape, from the expansive Massacre Lake and West Lake to numerous isolated springs like Horse Spring and C C Spring. This 1987 revision provides a precise view of the vast public lands and tribal territories before modern infrastructure developments altered the character of the Great Basin frontier.