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1915 Map of Searles Lake

Name: 1915 Topographic Map of Searles Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1933
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1933

About this map

Industrial activity and desert mining define this early 20th-century landscape, centered on the vast evaporative crust of Searles Lake. The map details the extraction infrastructure of the era, including the Soda Works and the northern terminus of the Trona RR. To the south, the mining hubs of Johannesburg and Rand anchor a network of claims and settlements like St Elmo and Atolia, connected by the Southern Pacific RR and its Owenyo Branch.

The presence of the Los Angeles Aqueduct winding through Indian Wells and Freeman Canyon highlights the massive engineering efforts required to move water across the Mojave region. Beyond the industrial sites, family-named landmarks like Paxton Ranch and McDonalds Ranch suggest a sparse but persistent agricultural presence amidst the mountain ranges and dry lake beds such as Cuddeback Lake and Harper Lake.