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1986 Map of Blythe

Name: 1986 Topographic Map of Blythe
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1986
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1986

About this map

The Colorado River serves as the central axis of this mid-1980s landscape, carving through the Palo Verde Valley and forming the boundary between California and Arizona. Agriculture and river-dependent settlement dominate the valley floor, where towns like Blythe, East Blythe, and Ripley are organized within a grid of irrigation and transport. To the east, the Colorado River Indian Reservation spans the Parker Valley, while the terrain rises sharply into the Dome Rock Mountains and Plomosa Mountains.

Mining history is etched into the desert uplands, particularly around Quartzsite and the La Posa Plain. Numerous named claims such as the Copper Bottom Mine, Yellow Dog Mine, and Mammoth Mine illustrate the region's enduring mineral extraction legacy. The map also captures the infrastructure of the era, from the Atwison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad line to the sprawling Yuma Proving Ground and the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.