1943 Map of Arivaca

About this map

Arivaca serves as the central hub of this Arizona mining and ranching landscape, which was surveyed during the early 1940s. The map reveals an intensive history of mineral exploration throughout the Las Guijas Mountains and Cerro Colorado Mountains, evidenced by a dense concentration of mining sites such as the Cerro Colorado Mine and the Mary G Mine. The prevalence of labels marked as abandoned, including the Liberty Mine and Colorado Clark Mine, suggests a shift in the local economy as earlier silver and gold strikes gave way to more permanent ranching operations. Numerous family-named homesteads and camps, such as Figueroa Ranch and Montana Ranch, are scattered along the seasonal drainage systems of Arivaca Wash and Altar Wash. These locations, alongside small settlements like Puertocito and Las Guijas, provide valuable data for genealogists tracing the early 20th-century inhabitants of the Pima and Santa Cruz county borderlands.