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1957 Map of Calderwood Butte

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of Calderwood Butte
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1961
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1961

About this map

The braided channels of the Agua Fria River dominate this 1957 landscape, where irrigation infrastructure meets the early expansion of Maricopa County. This period marks a transition from desert ranching and mining toward planned development, anchored by the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad line running through Lizard Acres. Evidence of deep history is visible in the north near Calderwood Butte, where Indian Ruins and Petroglyphs are recorded along the river banks.

Strategic water management is the engine of this era, evidenced by the Beardsley Canal and the massive Mc Micken Dam outlet system. To the south, the early footprint of Surprise and the Luke Auxiliary Field No 3 highlight the growing military and residential importance of the region. Local civic life is represented by the isolated Deer Valley School, serving a rural community that still relied on the Sunrise Relief Mine and scattered stations like the Calderwood Station (Site).