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1965 Map of Somerton

Name: 1965 Topographic Map of Somerton
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1974
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1974

About this map

Somerton serves as the central hub of this mid-1960s agricultural landscape, where an intricate lattice of irrigation infrastructure transforms the arid borderlands of the Yuma Desert. The map reveals a highly engineered environment, defined by a complex network of water features including the Central Main Canal, East Main Canal, and numerous smaller waterways like the Bondesson Lateral and Gardenhire Drain. This system supports the University of Arizona Agricultural Experiment Sta and the Yuma Indian Homesteads, illustrating the intensive land use required to sustain farming in this region.

The eastern portion of the survey is dominated by the Cocopah Indian Reservation, separated from the desert by the winding Cocopah Drain. Scattered infrastructure, such as the Yuma No 4 Airfield and the municipal Sewage Disposal site, indicates the functional development of the area outside the residential grid of Somerton. This record is essential for understanding the mid-century evolution of Yuma County water management.