1955 Map of Joseph City

About this map

Joseph City serves as the focal point of this Navajo County landscape, situated along the Little Colorado River where Mormon pioneers established roots in the late 19th century. The map captures the infrastructure of the mid-1950s, highlighting the transit corridor formed by U. S. 66 and the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad. Notable landmarks include The Old Fort Historical Monument, preserving the site of early settlement efforts. To the west, the settlement of Manila sits near the rail line, while the terrain to the south rises into a series of deeply etched drainages like Chimney Canyon and Porter Draw. This survey details an era of high-desert ranching and transit before the bypass of the interstate system, evidenced by numerous stock tanks such as Rattlesnake Tank and Saunders Tank scattered across the arid reaches of the Apache Butte region.