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1963 Map of Silver Reef Mts

Name: 1963 Topographic Map of Silver Reef Mts
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1965
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1965

About this map

Papago Indian Reservation lands dominate this mid-century topographic study, revealing a desert landscape deeply marked by its mining history and indigenous settlements. The terrain is defined by the sharp rise of the Slate Mountains and Silver Reef Mts., where a high concentration of mineral claims like the Silver Reef Mine and Magnesium Queen Mines once drove local industry. Small settlements and ranching outposts such as Vaiva Vo, Tat Momoli, and the Armenta Ranch are connected by a network of unimproved tracks and the Santa Rosa Trail.

Water management is central to the area's viability, evidenced by the Santa Rosa Wash, numerous wells, and the engineered path of the Aqueduct and Pipeline. From the northern reaches near Shopishk to the southern border at Gu Komelik near the Pima County line, the map documents a specific era of Sonoran Desert life where traditional Tohono O'odham sites and commercial extraction efforts coexisted across the Tat Mamoli Valley.