1996 Map of East Pass

About this map

The Crater Range dominates the northern horizon of this landscape, its steep contours giving way to the expansive drainage of Tenmile Wash. This arid stretch of the Sonoran Desert is largely defined by federal management and conservation, as the Barry M Goldwater Air Force Range meets the northern boundary of the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge. The map captures a transition in desert topography, from the jagged peaks of the Growler Mountains to the broad alluvial plains of Childs Valley. Evidence of human adaptation and land use in this desert environment is sparse but present, marked by a lone Well, a Water Tank, and a Corral. These features, along with the distinct geological break at East Pass, illustrate the isolation and specialized function of this borderlands region in the late twentieth century.