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1952 Map of Wheelbarrow Peak

Name: 1952 Topographic Map of Wheelbarrow Peak
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1958
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

Wheelbarrow Peak stands as the dominant summit in this high-desert landscape of Nye County, mapped during a pivotal period of Cold War military expansion. The terrain is defined by the massive footprint of the Las Vegas Bombing and Gunnery Range, which occupies the central and eastern portions of the sheet. To the south, the Nevada Proving Grounds border indicates the area's role in mid-century atomic testing and defense research.

Water sources are remarkably scarce across the arid Kawich Valley, with the map recording only vital catchments like Sun Down Reservoir and scattered springs such as Indian Spr and Johnnies Water. Evidence of previous occupation or early ranching attempts appears as isolated Ruins and a Water Tank, suggesting a landscape where survival was tethered strictly to these rare water points. The map preserves the complex topography before many of these restricted areas were further altered by decades of military activity.