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1943 Map of Laguna

Name: 1943 Topographic Map of Laguna
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1943
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1943

About this map

The Colorado River serves as the central artery for this mid-century desert landscape, where massive irrigation and water-management projects take center stage. The newly constructed Imperial Dam and its complex Desilting Tanks dominate the river, feeding the All American Canal and the Gila River Project. This infrastructure fundamentally reshaped the borderlands between Arizona and California, creating the Imperial Reservoir and Laguna Reservoir.

Away from the water, the terrain reflects an older era of desert travel and extraction. The Old Senator Mine sits in the foothills, while a network of primitive routes like the Old Quartzsite Road and Old Castle Dome Road cross the arid flats between the Middle Mountains and Muggins Mountains. At the southern edge, the Southern Pacific railroad passes through Dome near the junction of the Gila River.