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1948 Map of Walker Lake

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Walker Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1948
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1948

About this map

Walker Lake serves as the focal point of this high-altitude landscape, where the Great Basin of Nevada meets the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. Compiled from earlier surveys dating back to 1893 and updated with 1940s aerial photography, the map highlights the transition from agricultural valleys like Smith Valley and Minden to the high-country peaks of Yosemite National Park. The industrial footprint of the era is clearly marked by the Southern Pacific railroad line connecting settlements such as Thorne, Luning, and Mina.

Mineral extraction is represented by the Rockland Mines and Tungsten Mine, while historical mining hubs like Aurora and Bodie stand as significant landmarks for genealogists and researchers. The map also delineates extensive federal and tribal lands, including the Walker River Indian Reservation and the Washoe Allotments Indian Reservation. The presence of numerous high-alpine water bodies like Lundy Lake and Mono Lake, complete with Paoha Island, illustrates the complex hydrology of this arid region before late-twentieth-century water shifts.