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1956 Map of Needles

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Needles
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1962
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1962

About this map

The Colorado River carves a green corridor through the arid Mojave Desert, serving as the vital boundary between California and Arizona during the mid-1950s. This survey highlights a landscape defined by the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad, which strings together desert outposts like Amboy, Essex, and Goffs. The interior is dominated by terminal basins including Bristol Lake, where a calcium chloride flaking plant stands as a rare industrial landmark, and Cadiz Lake.

Southern reaches of the map show the transition into the Joshua Tree National Monument and the rugged Pinto Mountains. Along the river, infrastructure projects such as Parker Dam and the Headgate Rock Dam have reshaped the valley, supporting the Fort Mohave Indian Reservation and Colorado River Indian Reservation. High-relief terrain features like the Old Woman Mountains and the Turtle Mountains provide significant landmarks for navigation through the vast Cadiz Valley.