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1956 Map of Seventeen Palms

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Seventeen Palms
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1986
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1986

About this map

Seventeen Palms and the rugged eastern slopes of the Santa Rosa Mountains define this landscape along the border of San Diego and Imperial counties. The terrain is marked by an intricate network of desert drainages, including Rainbow Rock Wash, Palm Wash, and Arroyo Salada, which flow toward the Salton Sea in the northeast. The presence of the Torres Martinez Indian Reservation and several historic routes like the Anza Trail and Truckhaven Trail suggests a long history of travel through these arid corridors.

Evidence of desert industry and survival appears at the Calcite Mine and remote water sources such as Tipy Spring and Four Palms Spring. Near the shoreline, Salton Sea Beach represents a pocket of coastal development at the edge of the desert. The map captures a moment when travel relied heavily on a Jeep Road and specialized desert tracks to navigate the complex topography between the mountains and the sea.