1971 Map of McMicken Dam

About this map

The community of Beardsley sits at the edge of a rapidly changing landscape in the early 1970s, where agricultural grid patterns meet the desert floor. This orthophotoquad, created from aerial photographs, provides a rare visual record of the massive hydraulic infrastructure required to support Maricopa County’s expansion. Dominating the central terrain is the Mc Micken Dam, part of a sophisticated water management system that includes the Trilby Wash Detention Basin and the long, linear stretch of the Beardsley Canal. To the northeast, the land rises toward Bunker Peak, while the lower elevations are carved by natural drainage channels. The map captures a moment when large-scale irrigation and flood control systems were actively reshaping the arid environment for cultivation and settlement.