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1973 Map of Butterfield Pass

Name: 1973 Topographic Map of Butterfield Pass
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1976
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1976

About this map

Butterfield Stage Route cuts through the desert landscape of the Maricopa Mountains, following a historic path used by travelers long before modern infrastructure reached this part of Arizona. The map highlights the intersection of nineteenth-century overland travel and twentieth-century industrial transit, with the Southern Pacific Road running along the southern edge of the mountains. This rail line supported small stops like Shawmut and Estrella (Siding), which served as critical points in an otherwise arid expanse.

Evidence of earlier frontier history is preserved through labels like Desert Station (Site) and the Butterfield Trail Campsite. These markers, along with Butterfield Pass, provide specific locations for historians and genealogists to trace the exact movements of mail carriers and settlers. Water management, essential for survival in this environment, is represented by isolated features such as Conley Tank and Fortymile Desert Tank, which dot the landscape between the rocky peaks and the rail corridor.