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1948 Map of Leach Lake

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Leach Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

Owlshead Mountains and the Granite Mountains dominate this high-desert landscape, captured during the late 1940s before modern expansion changed the region's accessibility. The map reveals a transition between public land and defense needs, with the northern portion dedicated to the Death Valley National Monument and the southern half occupied by the Camp Irwin Military Reservation.

Mining history is preserved through labels for the Black Magic Mines and the New Deal Mine, highlighting the era's mineral prospecting. Water sources, vital for desert survival and operations, are marked at Owl Hole Springs, Two Springs, and Desert King Spring. Traces of old transport routes like Randsburg Road appear alongside the dry bed of Leach Lake, illustrating how geography dictated travel through the San Bernardino County desert. The northern reach even captures a portion of the Amargosa River near the monument boundary.