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1956 Map of Wilson Creek SW

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Wilson Creek SW
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1976
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1976

About this map

The East Low Canal dominates this mid-century landscape of the Columbia Basin Project, cutting a sharp line of water management across the semi-arid terrain of Grant County. Engineered works including a Levee, Siphon, and massive Spoil Bank illustrate the massive scale of 1950s irrigation infrastructure. Near the southern edge of the sheet, the terrain drops into the distinctive Black Rock Coulee, where Black Lake and Artesian Lake sit within the deeper floor of this prehistoric flood-carved channel.

Settlement is sparse, represented by the small community of Olson and a scatter of rural wells and farm roads. The presence of a Borrow Pit alongside the canal indicates the heavy material extraction required for these massive earthmoving projects. This map captures a specific moment when federal reclamation efforts were fundamentally re-ordering the geography of the high desert to support agriculture.