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1956 Map of Durmid

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Durmid
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1963
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1963

About this map

Salton Sea dominates the southwestern corner of this desert landscape, its shoreline recorded at 235 feet below sea level in May 1956. The arid terrain to the northeast is defined by the Southern Pacific Railroad corridor, which links the small settlements of Ferrum, Durmid, and Bertram along the coastal margin. This infrastructure supported local extractive industry, evidenced by the Bertram Mine and a nearby gravel pit located just below the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range.

Freshwater sources like Hunters Spring and Rancho Dos Palmas contrast with the highly saline environment near Salt Creek. The map captures a transitional period for the region as the Salton Sea State Park was established along the shore, while the Coachella Canal provided essential water management to the north. Distinctive landmarks such as the Bat Caves Buttes provide vertical relief in an otherwise low-lying basin marked by numerous seeps and springs.