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1990 Map of Bouse Hills West

Name: 1990 Topographic Map of Bouse Hills West
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1990
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1990

About this map

Mining and water management infrastructure dominate this arid stretch of La Paz County. The Bouse Hills serve as a central anchor for extensive prospecting and mineral extraction operations, including the Barber Gene Mine and the Blackbird Mine. Evidence of past industrial activity is visible at the Retort Oven, located near an Old Railroad Grade that speaks to the era when minerals were moved across the desert floor by rail.

Modern engineering cuts across the landscape via the Hayden Rhodes Aqueduct, which traverses the hills from the Cactus Plain toward the Ranegras Plain. This massive water project runs roughly parallel to the Swansea Road, while the southern reaches of the map are defined by the wide drainage of Cunningham Wash. Small outposts like Thompson Well and a Trailer Park near Joshua Road represent the few concentrated points of human residency in this high-desert environment.