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1947 Map of Inspiration

Name: 1947 Topographic Map of Inspiration
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1947
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1947

About this map

Miami and the surrounding mining district near the Tonto National Forest reveal a landscape defined by copper extraction and ranching in the mid-1940s. The industrial infrastructure is extensive, anchored by the Inspiration Main Shafts, the Leaching Plant, and the massive Tailings pond near Manitou Hill. Transportation is dominated by the Southern Pacific Line and U. S. Route 60, which service the busy Inspiration site and the Castle Dome Mine.

Beyond the industrial zones, the map documents numerous remote family-named springs and homesteads such as Horrel Ranch, Bohme Ranch, and Dixon Camp. These small outposts, along with evidence of earlier inhabitants at the Indian Ruins in Ruin Basin, contrast with the heavy engineering of the Bonanza Tunnel and Scanlon Tunnel. The complex topography of Porphyry Mtn and Needle Mtn underscores the geographic challenges of the era's mining operations.