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1956 Map of Needles

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Needles
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1976
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1976

About this map

The Colorado River carves the eastern boundary of this mid-century desert landscape, where water infrastructure like Parker Dam and the Gene Wash Reservoir stands in sharp contrast to the arid reaches of the Devils Playground. The regional economy is defined by a dense concentration of mining activity, particularly in the Dale Mining District and around the Eagle Mountain Mine, alongside remote rail outposts like Siberia and Bagdad on the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe RR.

Transit through the Mojave is anchored by U.S. 66, connecting settlements like Needles and Chambless across the Fenner Valley. The map records significant federal land use, from the Marine Corps Base near Twentynine Palms to the Chemehuevi Indian Reservation along Lake Havasu. Numerous springs, such as Bonanza Spring and Hummingbird Spring, highlight the critical and sparse water sources that governed settlement and prospecting routes throughout the Old Woman Mountains.