Loading map...

1959 Map of Salton Sea

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Salton Sea
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1972
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1972

About this map

The Salton Sea and its surrounding desert basins are documented here during a period of significant military and industrial activity. To the north, the Eagle Mountain Mine and numerous smaller operations like the Eldorado Mine and Golden Bee Mine dot the Pinto Mountains, while the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range (Naval) and Salton Sea Test Base (Naval) occupy vast swaths of the valley floor.

Agricultural development is evident in the south and east, where the Coachella Canal and East Highline Canal feed the lowlands near Niland and Calipatria. The Colorado River serves as the eastern boundary, supporting the community of Blythe and the Colorado River Indian Reservation. Transportation corridors are well-defined by the Southern Pacific and Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroads, alongside the developing route of Interstate 10 near Desert Center.