2015 Map of Plaster City NW

About this map

The Old Overland Stage Route traces a historic path through this arid stretch of Imperial County, following the low ground south of the dramatic Fish Creek Mountains. This corner of the Colorado Desert is defined by the massive drainage of Carrizo Wash, which cuts a wide, braided path across the basin floor. The terrain transitions from the steep elevations of Barrett Canyon in the northwest to the expansive, relatively flat expanse of West Mesa in the east. Surveyed in 2015, the map documents the stark isolation of the landscape, where transport history is etched into the earth alongside natural seasonal watercourses, showing how early travel corridors were dictated by the formidable topography of the basin and range.