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1951 Map of McCoy Wash

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of McCoy Wash
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1966
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1966

About this map

The Palo Verde Mesa and its transition into the lower agricultural lands define this 1951 landscape near the Arizona border. This survey captures a moment when the regional infrastructure was expanding to support both aviation and irrigation, centered around the Blythe Airport and the emerging Palo Verde Valley. The arid terrain is carved by the ephemeral McCoy Wash, while man-made features like the Diversion Dike and a series of levees illustrate the ongoing efforts to manage desert runoff and protect the valley's developing farms.

Institutional growth is evident at the Palo Verde High School and Junior College, providing a focal point for the small settlement at Mesaville. Transportation in the area relies on the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad and Midland Road, which cut diagonally across the desert flats. This map is particularly useful for tracing the early engineering of the local water system, including the Irrigation Canal and Drain 2 that transformed the valley floor.