1955 Map of Cibola

About this map

The Colorado River defines this 1950s borderland, carving a wide path through the Cibola Valley and Palo Verde Valley. In this era before extensive river channelization, the landscape is a network of backwaters and seasonal drainage including Lagoon, Davis Lake, and the marshy expanses of Three Finger Lake. The settlement of Cibola serves as a small hub along the Cibola Road, supported by a local Airport and a complex system of an Irrigation Ditch and pumps that allow agriculture to thrive in the desert heat. Flanked by the Palo Verde Mountains to the west and the Trigo Mts to the east, the map captures a specific moment of agricultural expansion and rural settlement at the MK Ranch and along the dry reaches of Milpitas Wash and Hart Mine Wash.