1973 Map of Wagon Box Basin

About this map

Wagon Box Basin and the surrounding high desert of Owyhee County are defined here by a network of vital water sources and remote cattle ranching infrastructure. The landscape is punctuated by numerous named springs such as Marmaduke Spring and Sam Noble Spring, alongside the CCC Spring which points to earlier twentieth-century conservation efforts in the region. The map captures the isolated nature of the terrain, where landmarks like Spencer Butte and Avery Table provided navigation points for those moving through Toy Valley Creek or along the rugged drainage of Camas Creek. Traces of human presence are sparse but significant, notably the Johnston Cabin in the eastern reaches and various reservoirs like Bullhead Reservoir and D Bar Reservoir that sustained livestock. This 1973 survey illustrates a classic Western rangeland, where life and movement were dictated entirely by the locations of springs and seasonal creeks.