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1981 Map of Samaniego Hills

Name: 1981 Topographic Map of Samaniego Hills
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1993
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1993

About this map

The Samaniego Hills rise sharply from the desert floor in this 1981 survey of the Arizona landscape between Pinal and Pima counties. The map documents a complex irrigation and water management network, dominated by the Santa Cruz River and the artificial path of the Greene Canal. Evidence of early 20th-century industry is preserved through the Sasco Ruins and the nearby Sasco Cem, marking the site of a once-significant copper smelting town.

An Old Railroad Grade cuts across the terrain toward the ruins, tracing the former path of the Arizona Southern Railroad. The high peaks of Cerro Prieto and Pan Quemado flank the southern portion of the quadrangle, while the northern edge touches the iconic volcanic spires of Picacho Peak State Park. This record of the Sonoran Desert captures the interplay of historic ranching at La Osa Ranch and the deep-seated infrastructure of the region's mining and water history.