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1986 Map of Sheldon

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

USGS Topo · Published 1986

About this map

The Southern Pacific River corridor defines this landscape, where the railroad and the Gila River wind through the high desert of the Arizona-New Mexico borderlands. Historically significant for its transit and mining activity, the area features the small settlements of Sheldon and Apache Grove situated along the river's fertile edge. To the southwest, the Greenlee and Graham county line crosses near the Ash Peak Mines, where a cluster of shafts and a quarry mark decades of industrial extraction near Ash Flat.

The terrain is deeply etched by a network of drainage washes and steep-walled canyons, including China Camp Canyon, Goat Camp Canyon, and the sprawling Sandia Wash. These features, alongside family-named landmarks like Murphey Well and Sexton Canyon, illustrate the sparse but deliberate settlement patterns of the 1980s. The presence of numerous prospects scattered across the foothills of Sheldon Mountain highlights the persistent mineral exploration that has long shaped this corner of the state.