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1949 Map of Searles Lake

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Searles Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1971
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1971

About this map

Searles Lake dominates this mid-century topographic record, capturing the industrial and geological landscape of the San Bernardino desert. The map reveals a cluster of company towns and chemical processing sites along the western shore, including Argus, Borosolvay, South Trona, and Westend. These settlements, tied to the mineral extraction from the dry lake bed, sit at the foot of the Argus Range, which rises sharply to the west. Evidence of the area's shifting infrastructure is seen in a Dismantled R.R. stretching across the basin, reflecting the changing fortunes of desert mining.

To the south, the terrain transforms into the distinctive geological formations of The Pinnacles and the Spangler Hills. The map also delineates a massive Naval Reservation covering much of the northwestern quadrant, highlighting the military's significant footprint in the Mojave Desert during this era. Scattered mining activity, such as a Mine (Inactive) near Poison, provides a look at the smaller prospecting efforts that once dotted Poison Canyon and Salt Wells Valley.