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1956 Map of Needles

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Needles
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1968
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1968

About this map

The Colorado River serves as the primary artery of life and transportation through this desert expanse, defining the boundary between California and Arizona. Near the river, the Fort Mohave Indian Reservation and Colorado River Indian Reservation represent established cultural centers, while the Colorado River Day School points to localized community infrastructure. Away from the water, the landscape is a grid of arid basins and sharp mountain ranges, including the Old Woman Mountains and Granite Mountains.

Industrial and transit history is recorded along the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe RR corridor, where remote outposts like Bagdad and Amboy grew to support steam-era rail operations. The map also captures the path of U S Highway 66, which facilitated transcontinental travel before the interstate era. Dry lake beds such as Bristol Lake and Cadiz Lake provide a stark contrast to the riparian zones around Lake Havasu and the Havasu Lake National Wildlife Refuge.