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1948 Map of Peppersauce Wash

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Peppersauce Wash
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1974
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1974

About this map

San Manuel and the surrounding desert landscape are captured here during a period of industrial transition, based on data from the late 1940s with early 1970s revisions. The area is defined by the broad valley of the San Pedro River, where the Sacaton Ranch sits near the riparian corridor. The arrival of the San Manuel Arizona RR and the development of the townsite itself signify the mid-century copper mining boom that reshaped this portion of the San Pedro Valley.

Water management and mineral extraction are the primary drivers of settlement in this arid environment. The map details an extensive network of drainage features including Peppersauce Wash, Whitlock Wash, and Stratton Wash, which carve through the Black Hills. Local history researchers can pinpoint the Black Hills Mine and a notable Artesian Well (Hot), providing evidence of the subsurface resources that drew early settlers and industry to this corner of the state near the boundary of Pinal and Pima Counties.