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1957 Map of Plaster City

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of Plaster City
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1979
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1979

About this map

Industrial operations and military testing dominate this desert landscape, where the Gypsum Plant at Plaster City serves as a major focal point for the regional economy. The San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railroad cuts a straight line across the arid terrain, facilitating the movement of materials through the Yuha Desert. To the north, the Recovery Parachute Test Range and a specialized Parachute Testing Unit indicate the mid-century importance of this area for defense and aerospace research.

Evidence of the historic western migration routes is preserved in the Old Overland Stage Route, which winds near Coyote Wash. On the eastern edge of the survey, the environment shifts abruptly to an irrigated agricultural zone marked by the settlement of Dixieland. This area is defined by an intricate network of waterways, including the Westside Main Canal and the lyrically named Forget-me-not Canal and Foxglove Canal.