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1951 Map of Cibola

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Cibola
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1961
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1961

About this map

The Colorado River carves a winding path through the Cibola Flood Plain in this early 1950s survey, marking the precarious boundary between California and Arizona. This map captures the valley's complex water management system, defined by the Cibola Canal and Palo Verde Lagoon, alongside a landscape of seasonal drainage like Mohave Wash and Milpitas Wash.

Settlement patterns reveal the transient nature of river life, noting Rannells (Site) and Taylor Ferry (Site) alongside established points like Cibola and Palo Verde. To the east, the Trigo Mountains rise sharply, where the Hard Gold Mine suggests the region's mineral interests. The map illustrates how human engineering attempted to tame the floodplain through a network of canals and drains while maintaining the traditional river-crossing sites that historically connected these desert communities.