1965 Map of Somerton

About this map

Somerton stands as a hub of irrigation and agriculture in this mid-1960s survey of the lower Colorado River valley. The landscape is defined by an intricate network of water management features, including the Main Canal, East Main Canal, and Somerton Canal, which feed a grid of lateral lines such as the Bondesson Lateral and Bronk Lateral. This infrastructure supports intensive cultivation, notably the University of Arizona Agricultural Experiment Sta and the Yuma Indian Homesteads. To the south, the irrigated fields give way to the arid Yuma Desert, where the Yuma No 4 Airfield and various jeep trails mark the transition into open terrain. The map also delineates the boundary of the Cocopah Indian Reservation, illustrating the complex intersection of federal, tribal, and agricultural land use during this era of southwestern expansion.