1956 Map of El Mirage

About this map

El Mirage Valley transitions from the high desert plains into a landscape marked by isolated buttes and mining prospects along the Los Angeles and San Bernardino County line. The 1950s geography of this region is defined by a sparse network of straight desert roads, including Palmdale Boulevard and El Mirage Road, connecting scattered water sources like Moody Springs. Significant geological markers and survey points dominate the terrain, notably Black Butte and the Three Sisters peaks. Aviation history is quietly noted at Gray Butte Field (Abandoned), which appears here as a relic of earlier desert operations. The presence of numerous quarries, shafts, and prospects near Mt Elmo and Black Mtn suggests a period of active mineral exploration and resource extraction in this corner of the Mojave Desert.