1943 Map of Cadiz Valley

About this map

The eastern expanse of Joshua Tree National Monument dominates this desert landscape, as surveyed by the Corps of Engineers during the height of the California-Arizona Maneuver Area activities. The map reveals a critical piece of regional infrastructure in the Metropolitan Aqueduct, which skirts the eastern edges of the Cadiz Valley and the Iron Mts., including a detailed depiction of the aqueduct tunnel. To the north, the stark white basin of Cadiz (Dry) Lake sits at the valley floor, while the southern boundary is defined by the steep elevation changes of the Coxcomb Mountains. This wartime edition captures a moment when military surveying priorities overlapped with the protection of public lands and the engineering of water transport, highlighting the thin line between the San Bernardino and Riverside County line in this remote Mojave region.