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1948 Map of Sonoita

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Sonoita
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1953
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1953

About this map

The ruins of Old Fort Crittenden and the small settlement of Sonoita anchor this late 1940s landscape, where cattle ranching and transportation intersect in the high desert of Southern Arizona. The map details a geography defined by numerous family-run operations, including the Hacienda Los Encinos Ranch, Crown C Ranch, and Douglas Ranch, scattered among the deep drainages of Gardner Canyon and Adobe Canyon. These ranches rely on scattered windmills and water sources like Monkey Spring to sustain livestock in the arid terrain.

Transportation through the region follows the Sonoita Creek corridor, dominated by the Southern Pacific railroad and the local infrastructure surrounding the Sonoita Sch and the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. To the north, the mining history of the Santa Rita Mountains is evident near Greaterville, situated just outside the Coronado National Forest boundary. The map captures a moment when traditional land use patterns remained centered on water-rights and rail access before modern development altered the rural character of the basin.