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1955 Map of Joseph City

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Joseph City
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1977
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1977

About this map

Joseph City serves as the central hub of this Navajo County landscape, where the Little Colorado River valley meets the high desert plains. The irrigation systems of the mid-1950s are clearly visible, including the Manila Ditch and the Joseph City Ditch, which support the agricultural life of the valley. A notable cultural landmark is The Old Fort Historical Monument, marking the early settlement history of the region near the mainline of the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad.

To the south and west, the terrain rises into complex drainage systems like McDonald Canyon and Bell Cow Canyon, contrasting with the open reaches of Hugo Meadows. Small, isolated water sources like McDonald Spring and numerous livestock tanks such as Rattlesnake Tank dot the backcountry, illustrating the critical nature of water management in this arid environment. The map also records the small railway point at Penzance and the northern settlement of Manila.