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1953 Map of Quartz Peak

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Quartz Peak
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1971
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1971

About this map

The Chocolate Mountains dominate this 1953 landscape, a desert region defined by its reliance on scarce water sources and its mining history. Remote outposts like Imperial Gables and Midway Well provide some of the few named human markers in an area characterized by dry washes such as Vinagre Wash and Gables Wash. Mining activity is evident throughout the southern and central sections, including the Paymaster Mine, Rainbow Mine, and the Gold Basin Rand Mine.

Strategic land use is visible in the western portion of the map, where a significant Naval Res and Gunnery Aerial Range overlap the terrain. For those tracing the movement of prospectors or travelers across the Colorado Desert, landmarks like the Peter Kane Water Hole and the Old Channel Mine Shaft offer specific points of interest. The topographic detail captures a moment when the Ogilby Blythe Road and various jeep trails were the primary arteries through this arid corridor.