1956 Map of Soda Lake

About this map

The Mojave River terminates in the arid expanse of Soda Lake, a prominent feature of the Mojave Desert landscape in the mid-1950s. The region is defined by its transit history, particularly the Union Pacific rail line crossing the southern flats and an Old Railroad Grade cutting north through the Soda Mountains. Small outposts like Crucero, Balch, and the Rasor Ranch provide evidence of human activity in an otherwise austere environment dominated by the shifting sands of the Devils Playground.