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1956 Map of Cadiz

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Cadiz
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1958
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

Bristol Lake dominates the southern landscape of this California desert quadrangle, where Salt Evaporators and several Water Tanks reflect the industrial reliance on the arid basin's mineral resources. Along the northern edge of the lake bed, the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad serves a string of desert outposts including Amboy, Saltus, and Cadiz. These settlements provided essential infrastructure for the railroad and nearby mining operations during the mid-century era.

The topography transitions sharply from the flat salt pan to the heights of the Bristol Mountains and the Clipper Mts. Remote mining activity is evidenced by the Castle Mine and Iron Hat Mine, while a network of Pipelines and a Jeep Trail trace the movement of water and supplies through the pass at Windy Point. Desert springs like Sheep Corral Spring and Willow Spring provide the only natural water sources in this stark terrain of lava flows and deep washes.