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1951 Map of Mobile

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

USGS Topo · Published 1951

About this map

Rainbow Valley dominates this 1951 study of the desert landscape south of Phoenix, where the Southern Pacific railroad provides the primary axis of human activity. The small settlement of Mobile stands at the eastern edge of the valley, near a local Cem, while further west along the tracks lie the rail-dependent locations of Estrella (Siding) and Shawmut. The map provides a rare look at the corridor of the Butterfield Stage Line, which traces a path across the valley floor beneath the Maricopa Mountains.

Evidence of the region's water-scarce economy is seen in the network of tanks and wells, such as North Tank and Northwest Tank, situated near the sprawling Waterman Wash. The northeast corner of the quadrangle is defined by the high peaks of the Sierra Estrella and the boundary of the Gila River Indian Reservation, illustrating the intersection of varied land uses in the Sonoran Desert during the mid-century.