1906 Map of Camelback

About this map

Paradise Valley is defined by its early agricultural and water infrastructure, long before the modern urban expansion of the Phoenix area. This 1903-1904 survey, published in 1906, documents the critical network of irrigation routes that enabled desert habitation, specifically the Old Verde Canal, Phoenix Canal, and the Arizona Canal. These man-made watercourses carve through the landscape south of the McDowell Mts, where high peaks like Thompson Pk and McDowell Pk dominate the eastern horizon. The southern portion of the sheet is marked by the Salt River Indian Reservation and the iconic silhouette of Camelback Mtn. To the north, the terrain transitions into the Tonto National Forest near Fraesfield Mtn and Pinnacle Mtn, showing a land still largely characterized by open range and early landmarks like the lone Corral.