1953 Map of Acolita

About this map

The Southern Pacific railroad cuts a diagonal line across this arid landscape, serving the isolated stop of Acolita. Surveyed in the mid-1950s, the terrain is defined by the shifting dunes of the Sand Hills and the rising slopes of the Chocolate Mountains to the northeast. Much of the northern territory is designated as an Aerial Gunnery Range, bounded by the Naval Reservation Bdy. Near the southwestern corner, the Coachella Canal provides a stark contrast to the surrounding desert, representing a critical piece of water infrastructure for the development of East Mesa. Travelers of this era navigated via the Niland-Glamis Road or followed a network of primitive tracks like the Jeep Trail through the open sands.