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2014 Map of Penitentiary Mountain

Name: 2014 Topographic Map of Penitentiary Mountain
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2014
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2014

About this map

Penitentiary Mountain and the southern reaches of the Aquarius Mountains define this high-desert landscape in Mohave County. The terrain is a network of ridges and drainages where water is the primary point of interest for any historical study. Numerous named water sources, such as Penitentiary Spring, Cornwall Basin Spring, and Alkali Spring, suggest the critical importance of these points for cattle ranching and early survey parties in an otherwise arid environment.

Drainages like Knight Cr, Ash Cr, and Trout Cr cut through the topography, while man-made improvements like Ray Cowden Tank and Cedar Basin Tank indicate the 21st-century infrastructure used to manage the land. From the heights of Pony Mesa to the slopes of Farrel Mtn, the map reveals a rugged backcountry accessed by a sparse network of tracks, including E Bull Spring Dr, reflecting the isolated character of this part of Arizona.