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1985 Map of Clarks Pass

Name: 1985 Topographic Map of Clarks Pass
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1985
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1985

About this map

The arid high-desert border between San Bernardino and Riverside counties is defined here by the convergence of the Sheephole Mountains and the Pinto Mountains. Recorded in the mid-1980s, the terrain is characterized by steep ridges and sprawling desert washes, with Clarks Pass serving as a natural corridor between these mountain ranges. A significant portion of the landscape is dedicated to conservation, split between the Joshua Tree National Monument and the more restrictive Joshua Tree Wilderness to the south.

Evidence of historical prospecting is scattered through the foothills, including the Outlaw Mine and the Zulu Queen Mine. These isolated sites, along with a network of unimproved roads and seasonal washes, suggest a history of resource extraction in the vast Pinto Basin. The map illustrates a period of transition where the remote Mojave landscape was being formalised into protected wilderness while still bearing the marks of early mineral exploration.