Loading map...

1952 Map of Wilderness

Name: 1952 Topographic Map of Wilderness
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1975
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1975

About this map

The Wind River Indian Reservation landscape is defined by the critical management of water in the high desert of Fremont County. This mid-century survey captures a complex network of irrigation and hydraulic engineering, including the Dinwoody Canal, Lannigans River Ditch, and several unnamed ditches drawing from the Wind River. These systems transformed the arid terrain around the small settlement of Wilderness and the location of Dinwoody, supporting agriculture and ranching in a region where the Dinwoody Lakes and the perennial flow of the river provided the only reliable moisture.

Local landmarks such as the Gaging Station and Sacajawea underscore the region's focus on resource monitoring and historical geography. The topography is marked by glacial and fluvial action, evidenced by the Moraine and the sharp rise of Dinwoody Ridge. From the West Fork Jenkins Draw to Sand Draw, the map traces the intersection of natural hydrology and human intervention through flumes, aqueducts, and footbridges during a period of active Missouri River Basin development.