1958 Map of Death Valley

About this map

Death Valley National Monument and its surrounding desert basins dominate this mid-century landscape, capturing a transition from early extraction to federal administration. The map highlights the intensive mining history of the Panamint Range and Grapevine Mountains, featuring sites like the Skidoo Mine, Cerro Gordo Mine, and Darwin Mines. While tourist infrastructure is emerging at Stovepipe Wells Hotel and Furnace Creek Ranch, the land remains defined by its isolation and scarce water sources such as Eagle Borax Spring and Mesquite Spring. To the east, the Amargosa Desert leads into the restricted Las Vegas Bombing and Gunnery Range and Nevada Proving Ground, where Jackass Flats and Yucca Flat mark the expanding footprint of government testing facilities. A dismantled railroad and the ghost of Rhyolite serve as reminders of the region's late 19th-century boom-and-bust cycles.