1973 Map of Benson

About this map

The San Pedro Valley serves as a corridor for infrastructure and settlement in the early 1970s, where the San Pedro River flows northward past the community of Benson. This period shows the town as a vital junction, where the Southern Pacific railroad meets major road interchanges like the West Benson Interchange and Pomerene Interchange. The map reveals a balance between town life—represented by the Hospital, High School, and Benson Cemetery—and the surrounding ranching and industrial landscape. Family-named locations such as Mendivil and Post Ranch sit alongside multiple borrow and gravel pits, indicating ongoing development. To the west, the desert terrain rises toward the Coronado National Forest, while the north features the agricultural settlement of Pomerene and its distinct sewage disposal pond, illustrating the managed growth of these desert communities.