1942 Map of Wheelbarrow Peak

About this map

Wheelbarrow Peak and the surrounding high desert of Nye County are documented in this 1942 War Department compilation, which utilizes early aerial photography to map the high plateaus and isolated water sources. The landscape is dominated by the Belted Range and the expansive Pahute Mesa, where the label Gunnery indicates the area's transition into military use during the early years of the war. Life in this arid environment is traced through scattered water points such as Oak Spring, Indian Spring, and Tippipah Spring, which were vital markers for both native populations and early prospectors. The terrain transitions from the deep incisions of Fortymile Canyon in the south to the broad reaches of Gold Flat, showing a region before modern infrastructure transformed the Nevada desert.