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1963 Map of Pinto Basin

Name: 1963 Topographic Map of Pinto Basin
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1965
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1965

About this map

Mining operations and water sources define the interior of Joshua Tree National Monument during this mid-century survey. The landscape is marked by numerous claims including the Black Eagle Mine, Storm Jade Mine, and Rusty Gold Mine, indicating a period of active or recently active prospecting in the Eagle Mountains. These operations relied on a sparse network of water points such as Mission Wells, Sunrise Well, and the Black Eagle Well, which were critical for survival in the arid Pinto Basin.

The map reveals the administrative boundary between San Bernardino County and Riverside County, though it is noted as an indefinite line in several places. Transportation across this desert terrain was limited to the Old Dale Road and various unnamed jeep trails that connected the mines to the larger region. From the Gold Crown Mine in the north to Conejo Well in the south, the sheet documents the infrastructure of resource extraction within the protected monument grounds.