1994 Map of Safford

About this map

The Gila Valley serves as a vital agricultural corridor in this 1990s portrait of southeastern Arizona, defined by an intricate network of irrigation including the Graham Canal, Montezuma Canal, and Tidwell Canal. The hub of Safford and the campus of Eastern Arizona College in Thatcher anchor the settlement pattern along the Gila River, while smaller communities like Solomon and San Jose mark the transition toward the desert uplands. To the south, the massive Pinaleno Mountains rise sharply, dominated by peaks such as Graham Peak and Heliograph Peak within the Coronado National Forest. This era shows the region's balance between river-fed farming and the high-elevation wilderness of the Peloncillo Mountains near the New Mexico border, where the Southern Pacific RR cuts through the desert toward Duncan.