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1959 Map of Earthquake Valley

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Earthquake Valley
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1960
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

The Old Overland Stage Route cuts a diagonal path through this arid high-desert landscape, preserving a vital corridor of early California transportation history. Located within the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, the map captures the meeting of several significant valleys, including Valle de San Felipe, Earthquake Valley, and Blair Valley. A prominent San Felipe-Butterfield Stage Station Historical Marker at Scissors Crossing serves as a reminder of the mid-19th-century stagecoach era, while the Yaguitepec Site near Ghost Mtn hints at even deeper indigenous history.

Water remains the primary architect of this terrain, seen in the drainage of Sentenac Cienaga and the seasonal paths of Box Canyon and Oriflamme Canyon. The landscape is dominated by granite massifs such as Grapevine Mtn and Granite Mtn, which define the narrow corridors like Foot and Walker Pass. Sparse mining activity is noted by several Prospect labels scattered across the slopes of Sentenac Mtn and the North Pinyon Mountains.