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1937 Map of Comobabi

Name: 1937 Topographic Map of Comobabi
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1958
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

Papago Indian Reservation dominates this 1930s landscape, centered on the striking divide of the North Comobabi Mountains and South Comobabi Mountains. The map reveals a dispersed network of indigenous settlements and mining operations characteristic of Pima County's desert interior. Small villages like Sil Nakya, Ko Vaya, and Santa Lucia are connected by primitive roads and an essential system of scattered wells and earthen dams.

Mining activity is concentrated in the southwest near the Ko Vaya Hills, where the Picacho Mine and Cooncan Mine sit alongside United States Mineral Monuments like USMM No 4. The topographical survey, conducted by C.A. Ecklund and Adolph Fankhauser, illustrates the transition from the broad Santa Rosa Valley to the high peaks of Mt Devine. This map is a record of desert life and mineral exploration before modern infrastructure altered the Tohono O'odham traditional lands.