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1959 Map of Gene Wash

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

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

Parker Dam anchors this mid-century survey of the rugged border between California and Arizona, where the Colorado River widens into the lower reaches of Lake Havasu. The map documents critical infrastructure for regional water management, including the Colorado River Aqueduct and the massive Whipple Mtn Tunnel Colorado River Aqueduct cutting through the Whipple Mountains. These engineering feats are supported by the Gene Pumping Sta and reservoir system, highlighting the industrial transformation of the desert landscape during the post-war era.

Along the shoreline, recreational and transit points like Black Meadow Landing and Larned Landing suggest the burgeoning local culture of the lake. To the north, the Havasu Lake National Wildlife Refuge stretches across the Aubrey Hills, while the south reveals a more isolated terrain marked by Bristol Spring and the Colorado River Indian Reservation. The presence of a lone Grave and scattered Prospect sites near Copper Basin provides a connection to the area's earlier, more solitary history of exploration and mining.