1956 Map of Cadiz

About this map

The arid landscape of the Mojave Desert centers on the white expanse of Bristol Lake and its industrial Salt Evaporators in the mid-1950s. This terminal basin is flanked by the volcanic Lava flows to the west and the complex topography of the Bristol Mts and Marble Mountains. Settlement is clustered along the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad corridor, where small desert outposts like Amboy, Saltus, and Cadiz served as vital transit and resource points. The map documents an era of resource extraction and infrastructure, evidenced by the Castle Mine and Iron Hat Mine tucked into the mountain ranges, alongside a network of Pipelines and a lonely Jeep Trail cutting across the desert floor.