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1959 Map of Palm Desert

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Palm Desert
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1964
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1964

About this map

The Whitewater River and the Coachella Canal anchor this mid-century portrait of the Coachella Valley, illustrating a landscape in rapid transition from desert ranching to resort development. Early resort icons like the Bermuda Dunes Country Club, El Dorado Golf Course, and Indian Wells Golf Course appear alongside established desert outposts like Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage. The map captures the physical infrastructure supporting this growth, including the Coachella Valley Storm Water Channel and the Southern Pacific railroad line near Myoma.

South of the valley floor, the terrain rises into the Santa Rosa Mountains, where the Pines to Palms Highway winds toward Pinyon Flat Camp. The survey records a history of resource extraction and indigenous presence, noting the Asbestos Mine, the Garnet Queen Mine, and an Indian Village (Site) near the Santa Rosa Trail. These features, along with isolated outposts like Shumway Ranch and Dos Palmas Spring, provide a detailed record of the high-desert backcountry before its further modernization.