1959 Map of Ringbolt Rapids

About this map

Colorado River currents define this desert landscape where the water carved through the Black Canyon along the border of Arizona and Nevada. In the mid-twentieth century, this stretch of the river remained a place of shifting hydrology, featuring a series of named hazards for river runners including Ringbolt Rapids, Cross Current Rapids, and Indian Rapids. The map illustrates the transition from the free-flowing river to the northern reaches of Lake Mohave, where the rising waters began to alter the canyon floor.