1957 Map of Avondale SW

About this map

The Gila River flows through the northern reaches of this mid-century landscape, separating the agricultural Buckeye Valley from the arid expanse to the south. This transition from cultivated river bottoms to the jagged peaks of the Sierra Estrella reveals the era's desert development, where infrastructure like the Pipeline and several reservoirs began to manage the local water supply. Historic markers of early settlement appear in the far northwest, including the Liberty Cem near the junction of Tuthill Road and South Extension Road. Moving south, the terrain opens into the broad Rainbow Valley, a stretch defined by long drainage systems like Waterman Wash and the winding Jackrabbit Trail. The presence of multiple isolated landing strips across the valley floors points to the importance of light aircraft for surveying and managing these remote desert tracts in the late 1950s.