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1966 Map of Blackwater

Name: 1966 Topographic Map of Blackwater
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1983
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1983

About this map

The Gila River Indian Reservation landscape is defined by the winding course of the Gila River and the engineered irrigation networks that sustain the surrounding desert. Within this terrain, the settlement of Blackwater sits near a complex system of water management including the North Side Canal, Pima Lateral, and Kenworthy Lateral. These features reflect the long-standing agricultural tradition of the Gila River valley, where water diversion has been central to local life for generations.

Rising sharply from the desert floor are several prominent landmarks, most notably Mineral Butte, Twin Buttes, and Walker Butte, which provide vertical contrast to the flat valley basin. To the south, the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument preserves ancient history alongside modern infrastructure like the Southern Pacific railroad and the Old Railroad Grade. This map also captures the transition of the landscape with purple-shaded revisions from 1978, showing developments such as Radio Towers and a Substation near the Hunt Highway.