1956 Map of Coachella

About this map

Agricultural development and early desert settlement define this mid-century survey of the lower Coachella Valley. Centered on the industrial and rail hubs of Indio, Coachella, and Thermal, the map illustrates the extensive irrigation network that transformed this arid basin, including the massive Coachella Canal and the complex system of numbered avenues and named streets such as Jackson Street and Harrison Street. The southern portion of the sheet reveals the receding shoreline of the Salton Sea as it appeared in the mid-1950s.