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1951 Map of Maturango Peak

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Maturango Peak
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1952
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1952

About this map

Mining operations dominated the eastern slopes of the Argus Range in the early 1950s, a period when base and precious metal extraction remained central to the economy of this Inyo County region. The map reveals a high concentration of named prospects and workings, including the Defense Mine, Minnietta Mine, and St George Mines, clustered near the precipitous canyons. Transportation through the arid flats of the Panamint Valley is marked by the historic Nadeau Trail and Indian Ranch Road, which skirt the edges of the mountains.

Evidence of earlier industrial activity persists at the Anthony Mill Ruins in the southern portion of the sheet. High elevations like Maturango Peak and Lookout Mtn overlook a complex drainage system of steep-walled gaps such as Knight Canyon and Bendixire Canyon. The presence of the Naval Reservation Boundary indicates the post-war transition of these lands toward military use, even as traditional resource extraction like the Onyx Mine continued nearby.