Loading map...

1959 Map of Searchlight

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Searchlight
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1960
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

The mining district of Searchlight dominates this late-1950s survey, revealing a landscape defined by gold and silver extraction at the edge of the Piute Valley. The township is surrounded by a dense concentration of historical claims, including the Blossom Mine, Quartette Mine, and the Big Casino Mines. These workings, along with the Cem and local Landing Strip, illustrate the community's mid-century industrial footprint before later conservation efforts transformed the region.

To the east, the terrain rises into the Newberry Mountains, where desert water sources like Boat Tank Springs and Summit Spr provided vital resources in an arid environment. The map also delineates the Lake Mead National Recreation Area boundary and the Von Schmidt Line, an important historical marker for the border between Nevada and California. Long stretches of Pipelines and the Old Homestead Road trace the movement of people and resources across this desert frontier.