1956 Map of Cadiz Valley

About this map

The Coxcomb Mountains and the northern reaches of Joshua Tree National Monument dominate this mid-century topographic study of the Mojave Desert. The map reveals a landscape defined by dramatic elevation changes, from the high peaks of the Iron Mountains to the expansive salt flats of Cadiz Lake. A critical piece of infrastructure, the Colorado River Aqueduct, is shown cutting through the eastern corridor, supported by a network of siphons and a Gaging Station near the border of San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The passage of the Twenty Nine Palms Highway provides the primary transit route through the Cadiz Valley, connecting the arid Pinto Basin to the vast Sand Dunes that shift across the desert floor. This record captures the region just as large-scale water management projects were solidifying their footprint in the California desert.