1942 Map of Kramer

About this map

The Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad defines the northern corridor of this desert landscape, linking the small desert outposts of Kramer, Amargo, and Rich. Surveyed in the 1930s, the map illustrates a sparsely populated section of the Mojave Desert where the high desert floor meets distinctive volcanic landforms like Haystack Butte and the Red Buttes. The transition between San Bernardino, Kern, and Los Angeles counties is marked by a nascent grid of roads including Avenue C and Avenue D, which push into the Mirage Valley south of the Shadow Mountains. Isolated homesteads and local infrastructure, such as the Blake Ranch and a remote Airport, represent the early 20th-century effort to establish a presence in this arid environment before the post-war expansion of inland California.