1937 Map of Diamond Butte

About this map

Tonto Creek carves a deep path through this portion of the Tonto National Forest in the mid-1930s, defining a landscape of isolated ranching and mining attempts. The presence of the Spring Creek Mine (Not Producing) suggests the ebb and flow of mineral prospecting in the canyons east of Gisela Mtn. Scattered holdings such as Vaughn Ranch, Wilbanks Ranch, and the Fred Pranty Cabin illustrate the era's reliance on high-country grazing and remote water sources like Cane Springs. Significant landmarks such as Diamond Butte and the evocative Robbers Roost Mtn tower over the network of deep drainages including Gun Creek Canyon and Hells Gate. This unedited advance sheet, surveyed by W. R. Chenoweth and others, preserves the precise locations of family-named ranch sites and seasonal cabins before many were absorbed by larger outfits or reclaimed by the forest.