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1957 Map of Cortaro

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of Cortaro
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1961
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1961

About this map

Santa Cruz River bottomlands and the foothills of the Tortolita Mountains define this Pima County landscape during a mid-century period of ranching and early development. The Southern Pacific rail line and the Casa Grande Highway serve as the primary artery for local trade, connecting settlements like Marana, Rillito, and Cortaro. Agriculture is anchored by the Cortaro Farms Ditch, while the surrounding desert terrain is dotted with active and legacy mining operations, including the Gila Monster Mine, Mile-wide Mine, and Yuma Mine.

Named ranches such as T-Bench-Bar Ranch and Bonnie Brae Ranch reflect the area's pastoral character, even as the northern fringes of the Tucson area begin to expand with sites like Sunset Dairy and Shamrock Dairy. Local social life is grounded in scattered educational and spiritual markers, from the Homestead School to the Sahuaro Cem, providing a detailed look at the rural infrastructure of the 1950s.