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1956 Map of Rogers Lake

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Rogers Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1966
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1966

About this map

Edwards Air Force Base and the Air Force Flight Test Center dominate this mid-century landscape in the Antelope Valley. The transition from the high desert terrain of the Bissell Hills and Rosamond Hills to the flat, expansive surfaces of Rogers Lake and Buckhorn Lake highlights why this location became essential for aerospace development. Early aeronautical infrastructure is visible through the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics facility and various control towers.

Settlement patterns reflect the military's footprint, from the residential clusters at Wherry Housing (Edwards PO) and South Base (Edwards AFB PO) to the Desert High Sch. Local community life outside the base perimeter is noted at the Joshua Tree Grange and small points like Holly and Redman. An old railroad grade crossing the dry lake bed serves as a reminder of the area's earlier transportation history before it was repurposed for flight testing.