1964 Map of Mule Wash

About this map

The Colorado River serves as the primary artery through this desert landscape, delineating the border between Riverside County, California, and Yuma County, Arizona. On the California side, the Palo Verde Canal and various irrigation channels like the D 23 Canal reflect the agricultural development of the Palo Verde Valley. Across the water in Arizona, the terrain shifts abruptly into the arid reaches of the Yuma Proving Ground, where a network of dry drainages such as Mule Wash and Mohave Wash carve through the foothills of the Trigo Mountains. This 1964 survey, later photorevised to show 1975 changes, documents a region defined by contrast: the engineered waters of the valley floor meeting the vast military reservation. Notable land features include the rugged Cibola Gould Wash and the winding Cibola Road, which provides the only major terrestrial passage through this portion of the proving grounds.