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1972 Map of Joshua Tree South

Name: 1972 Topographic Map of Joshua Tree South
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1976
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1976

About this map

The Joshua Tree National Monument boundary defines the southern half of this landscape, where the high desert transitions into the Little San Bernardino Mts. Within the monument, broad alluvial basins like Lower Covington Flat and Upper Covington Flat are prominent, while scattered water sources such as Covington Spring and Covington Well appear as dry landmarks, reflecting the arid nature of the terrain in the early 1970s.

North of the monument line, the burgeoning settlement of Joshua Tree is clearly mapped with an established grid and several named residential routes including Alta Loma Drive and Skyline Drive. A series of local trails, such as the Latham Trail and Pueblo Trail, weave through the foothills, indicating a community interface with the desert wilderness. Noteworthy geographic features like Nolina Cove and the drainage of Smith Water Canyon provide specific reference points for researchers of this desert region.