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1988 Map of Cottonwood Spring

Name: 1988 Topographic Map of Cottonwood Spring
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1988
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1988

About this map

Lost Palms Oasis and Cottonwood Spring provide rare water sources in this desert environment at the junction of the Cottonwood Mountains and the Eagle Mountains. The landscape is defined by the stark transition from the high desert peaks of the Joshua Tree National Monument to the wide expanse of Shavers Valley in the south. The massive infrastructure of the Colorado River Aqueduct traverses the terrain, following a line between the mountains and the valley floor, accompanied by a dedicated pumping station and various siphons.

Prospectors and miners once combed these hills, leaving behind sites like the Coyote Mine and Mastodon Mine near Mastodon Peak. Modern recreational and administrative footprints are visible at the Cottonwood Visitor Center and Cottonwood Campground, marking the area's development as a protected wilderness. Further south, the Orocopia Mountains rise from the valley, where several prospects and unimproved roads hint at the area's long history of mineral exploration.