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1959 Map of Cliff

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Cliff
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1966
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1966

About this map

The Gila River valley near the Arizona border reveals a landscape defined by ranching and resource extraction during the late 1950s. The settlements of Cliff, Gila, and Riverside cluster along the river and its tributary Duck Creek, where the floodplain provided a corridor for development. Outside of these small hubs, the terrain is dominated by the sprawling Gila National Forest and the Burro Mountains.

Evidence of the area's working history is visible in the numerous private ranch holdings, such as the Norris Ranch and Dale McCauley Ranch, alongside the remnants of New Deal-era infrastructure like the Dix CCC Camp. Mining activity is concentrated on the eastern edge of the quadrangle, notably the Cora Miller Mine and Blacksmith Canyon Mine. The presence of Fort West Hill and several cemeteries, including Stout Cem, provides concrete points of reference for genealogists and local historians tracing the early settlement of Grant County.