1971 Map of Hodge

About this map

Hodge and the small settlement at Johnstons Corner anchor this Mojave Desert landscape, which is defined by the wide, sandy corridor of the Mojave River. During the early 1990s, when these updates were finalized, the area served as a critical transit junction where the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad and the National Trails Highway run parallel along the river's eastern bank. The terrain rises sharply to the west toward the prominent ridges of Iron Mountain, while the valley floor is crisscrossed by an evocative network of desert routes with names like the Wagonwheel Trail, Buckhorn Trail, and Chisholm Trail. Evidence of local industry and infrastructure is visible in the scattered prospects, a Landing Strip, and a road on levee that protects the corridor from the unpredictable shifts of Brisbane Wash.