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1954 Map of Johnson SE

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of Johnson SE
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1956
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1956

About this map

Johnson (Site) sits at the base of the massive Vermillion Cliffs on this mid-century survey of the Utah-Arizona border. The landscape is defined by the transition from the high plateau of Johnson Canyon down into the broad expanses of Muggins Flat. This map captures a remote frontier environment where water dictates the location of every human feature, from the Navajo Well to The Seeps and several scattered stock ponds.

A primitive Jeep Trail and the Paria Road provide the only access through the canyons, past landmarks like Dishpan Hill and Hells Bellows. The presence of Cliff Dwellings in the canyon walls points to a long history of habitation in this arid corridor. For researchers, the map provides an exacting look at the hydrology of the area, including Johnson Wash and Seaman Wash, during an era when this region remained largely unpaved and sparsely populated.