1957 Map of McMicken Dam

About this map

The Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad cuts a sharp diagonal across this desert landscape, anchoring the small settlement of Beardsley. This 1957 survey, with revisions from 1971, highlights the critical water management systems essential to Maricopa County, including the Mc Micken Dam Spillway 1354 and the massive Detention Basin designed to capture runoff from the Trilby Wash. The area also served a significant military and civil aviation role, evidenced by Luke Auxiliary Field No 1 and two additional auxiliary fields managed by the City of Phoenix. Beyond the engineered water channels and canals like the Beardsley Canal, the terrain rises toward Bunker Peak, where the drainage of Paddelford Wash and Lake Bonita define the arid topography north of Bard Ranch.