1988 Map of Wheelbarrow Peak

About this map

Wheelbarrow Range dominates this corner of Nye County, where the high-altitude terrain is shaped by the overlapping interests of federal land management and military defense in the late 1980s. The landscape is defined by the Nellis Air Force Range (Restricted Area) and the Nevada Wild Horse Management Area, reflecting a mid-century shift toward large-scale conservation and national security zones. Evidence of early prospectors remains at higher elevations, including a Mine Shaft and a Prospect located north of Wheelbarrow Peak. Despite the arid climate, isolated water sources such as Johnnies Water and Indian Spring provided critical hydration points in an otherwise daunting environment. This survey captures a moment when traditional ranching or mining access was superseded by more modern, restricted land uses.