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1957 Map of Sabino Canyon

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of Sabino Canyon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1973
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1973

About this map

Coronado National Forest dominates the upper half of this landscape, where the Santa Catalina foothills meet the desert floor. The 1957 terrain is defined by dramatic drainage systems like Sabino Canyon and Ventana Canyon, which channel water toward the developing valley below. In the lower sections of the map, urban expansion is captured through purple-tinted updates from 1971, showing the residential growth pushing toward Tanque Verde Road and Ft Lowell Road.

Cultural landmarks provide a view of mid-century institutional life in the desert, notably the Southern Arizona School For Boys and the Immaculate Heart Novitiate. The map tracks the evolution of local recreation and industry, from the Golf Course and Race Track in the south to the secluded Geronimo Meadow and Sabino Lake in the canyon depths. These features, along with early road alignments like Catalina Highway, illustrate a transition from a remote mountain wilderness to an established suburban fringe.