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1952 Map of Palen Mountains

Name: 1952 Topographic Map of Palen Mountains
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1953
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1953

About this map

Palen Mountains and the Granite Mountains dominate the high desert terrain of Riverside County in this early 1950s survey. The landscape is defined by the stark transition from mountain ridges to the low-lying Chuckwalla Valley, which contains the prominent Palen Dry Lake and extensive Sand Dunes. This era captures a sparsely populated region where human presence is marked by isolated infrastructure like the Parker Highway and the remote Coxcomb Landing Strip in the northwest.

Historical markers of resource exploration are scattered throughout the peaks, including several Prospects and the well-known Palen Pass. Localized water sources, critical for desert travel and ranching, are recorded at Packard Well and the Circle E Ranch. The map provides an essential look at the mid-century desert environment before modern development, recording the network of Jeep Trails and primitive roads that provided the only access through these arid basins.