Loading map...

1953 Map of Ninemile Knoll

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Ninemile Knoll
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1954
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1954

About this map

The Escalante Desert dominates this 1953 landscape, revealing a high-altitude basin where water management was the primary concern for mid-century surveyors. The map is marked by a complex network of infrastructure, including a prominent Ditch system and an Irrigation Canal that cut across the arid terrain. Natural water features are scarce but critical, such as Cactus Pond, Sand Pond, and the ephemeral drainage known as The Sink.

Evidence of early desert development is seen in the scattered Abandoned Wells and landmarks like Government Well. To the south, the terrain shifts abruptly as the flat desert floor meets the rising elevations of Black Canyon and the county line between Beaver Co and Iron Co. This survey, compiled from 1952-1953 aerial photography, captures the exact locations of lonely windmills and isolated gravel pits before the intensification of modern desert ranching.