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1951 Map of Blythe NE

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Blythe NE
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1956
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1956

About this map

The Big Maria Mountains dominate the northern landscape of this survey, giving way to the engineered agricultural plains of the Palo Verde Valley. Central to the region's development is the Palo Verde Intake and an extensive irrigation network, including the Main Canal, Duplicate Canal, and numerous numbered siphons and drains that transformed the desert into productive land. The human history of the era is marked by the Fertilla (Ruins), suggesting an earlier settlement attempt near the modern irrigation infrastructure.

Along the winding Colorado River, which forms the California Arizona boundary, the map details the Colorado River Indian Reservation and various river-adjacent features like the Fish Hatchery and Olive Lake. Local transport is defined by a grid of boulevards named for major railroads, such as Santa Fe Blvd and Atchison Blvd, while the Palo Verde Cemetery remains a stable landmark amidst the shifting sands and levee systems.