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1963 Map of Iris Pass

Name: 1963 Topographic Map of Iris Pass
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1964
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1964

About this map

Coachella Canal cuts through the southwestern portion of this desert landscape, where water management infrastructure like Siphon 10 and Siphon 8 supported the irrigation of the East Mesa. The topography is dominated by the massive Chocolate Mountains, a range marked by technical and historical routes including the Bradshaw Road and various jeep trails through Surveyors Pass and Augustine Pass.

Resource extraction and transit define the human footprint here, evidenced by the Imperial Buttes Mine and other unnamed mining sites near Lion Head Mountain. The map also delineates the Naval Reservation Boundary, indicating the mid-century transition of these lands into military use. Rare water sources like Bear Well and Salvation Well provide critical landmarks in an arid environment otherwise defined by ephemeral drainages like Iris Wash and Arroyo Seco.