1987 Map of East of Red Canyon

About this map

The Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range dominates the southern half of this landscape, marking a significant military aviation corridor defined by the Naval Reservation Boundary. This 1987 edition illustrates the intersection of desert wilderness and historical transit, where the old Bradshaw Road cuts across the arid basin between the Orocopia Mountains and the Chocolate Mountains. Small-scale historical activity is evidenced by a prospect in the north and the isolated Tabaseca Tank to the south. The drainage of Salt Creek provides a central geographic anchor, winding through the valley floor beneath the Chuckwalla Mountains. This map reflects a moment when vast stretches of the California desert were managed for both defense and preservation, prior to later shifts in land use and expanded recreation access.