1954 Map of Hidalgo Mtn

About this map

Marine Corps Training Center lands define much of this arid landscape in the Mojave Desert, where topographic relief is dominated by the prominent ridge of Hidalgo Mtn. The terrain is characterized by expansive dry lake beds, including Quackenbush Lake to the north and the eastern edge of Emerson Lake to the west. Human activity is largely represented by utilitarian desert infrastructure, such as Ames Well and several unnamed wells and mills scattered across the lower elevations. A network of Jeep Trails provides the primary means of navigation through the varying elevations, connecting the flat basins to the high point at Creole VABM 4435. This 1950s survey captures a transitional period of military land use and desert mapping just as aerial photography began to refine the representation of this isolated interior terrain.