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1956 Map of Crescent Peak

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Crescent Peak
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1970
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1970

About this map

The high desert borderlands of San Bernardino County and Clark County come into focus during the mid-1950s, revealing a landscape shaped by mining and early transit. Historic town sites like Vanderbilt and Barnwell anchor the southern portion of the sheet, while the Old Railroad Grade and Old RR Grade trace the legacy of industrial infrastructure in this arid terrain. Remote outposts and water sources define the geography, including Clarks Well and the Crescent Mine near the summit of Crescent Peak.

Evidence of much earlier habitation is recorded through Petroglyphs found in the southern reaches of the Castle Mountains, near the ephemeral settlement of Hart. The surveying of the state border is clearly marked by the Von Schmidt Line, cutting diagonally across the high basins of Ivanpah Valley and Lanfair Valley. This survey captures the region just before modern development, preserving the location of small mines, cemeteries, and isolated springs like Tule Spring and Malpais Springs.