1996 Map of Bates Well

About this map

Bates Well sits at the junction of the Bates Well Road and a 4WD track, serving as a rare point of human infrastructure in this arid corridor of Pima County. The map documents a landscape where resource extraction and conservation meet, with numerous prospects and mines dotting the slopes near Lime Hill and Scarface Mountain. The industrial footprint of the Bluebird Mine contrasts with the surrounding protected lands of the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge and the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. A network of dry washes, including Cuerda de Lena Wash and Growler Wash, dictates the movement across the Ajo Valley. Notable landmarks like the John the Baptist Mountains and the strategic Growler Pass provide the primary navigational relief in a region defined by its isolation and specialized desert ecology.