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1956 Map of Wild Horse

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Wild Horse
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1961
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1961

About this map

The Wild Horse Reservoir dominates this high-altitude landscape in northeastern Nevada, where the Owyhee River and Wild Horse River converge. This mid-1950s survey captures a remote ranching and grazing frontier characterized by dispersed family holdings such as Vega Ranch, Doheny Ranch, and Stevens Ranch. The existence of the Harrison School and a landing strip speaks to the isolation of these communities, which relied on localized infrastructure before modern connectivity reached the interior of Elko County.

To the west, the Independence Mountains rise sharply, anchored by the 10,439-foot McAfee Peak and the forested slopes of the Humboldt National Forest. The map documents a rugged network of drainage systems, including Deep Creek and Chicken Creek, alongside numerous gulches and canyons that define the local topography. This era shows a transition in land use, balancing traditional livestock ranching with the development of water management projects for the Great Basin region.