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1990 Map of Plomosa Pass

Name: 1990 Topographic Map of Plomosa Pass
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1990
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1990

About this map

The Plomosa Mountains dominate this landscape of the Sonoran Desert, defined by a complex network of ephemeral drainage systems and mining claims. Arid water features like Lazarus Tanks and the winding Italian Wash provided critical points of reference in a terrain where extraction was the primary driver of human activity. The map reveals an intensive history of prospecting, with numerous shafts and adits concentrated near Guadalupe Mountain and Scaddan Mountain.

Mineral interests are explicitly named at sites such as the Gold Nugget Mine, the Belle of Arizona Mine, and the Black Beauty Mine. Transportation across this challenging environment was facilitated by the namesake Plomosa Pass and a series of rugged 4WD tracks that connected remote claims. These features, along with landmarks like Elephant Back Mountain and the Colorado Prospect, illustrate the persistent search for ore in the La Paz backcountry during the late twentieth century.