Loading map...

1950 Map of Parker Dam Area

Name: 1950 Topographic Map of Parker Dam Area
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1950
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1950

About this map

The Colorado River defines this 1950 border landscape, illustrating the critical hydraulic infrastructure of the mid-century West. At the heart of the terrain is the Parker Dam, which creates the expansive Havasu Lake along the boundary of California and Arizona. The map details the complex water management systems of the era, including the Copper Basin Reservoir and several washes such as Gene Wash and Eureka Wash that feed into the river system.

Beyond the water works, the landscape is dominated by the Whipple Mountains, where small-scale mining operations like Metal Mine and other unnamed mines dot the high ground. To the south, the Colorado River Indian Reservation borders the river near the small settlement of Cross Roads. This survey, field-checked just after the war, captures the area during a period of significant engineering, showing the Gaging Station and the infrastructure required to manage the desert's most precious resource.