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1948 Map of Superior

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Superior
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1955
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1955

About this map

Magma Copper Mines and the town of Superior serve as the industrial hub for this copper-rich region in the late 1940s. The map illustrates a landscape transformed by extraction, featuring a massive Smelter, a Slag Dump, and multiple Tailings Ponds that characterize the town's immediate surroundings. The Magma Arizona RR provides the essential heavy transport link needed for ore movement, while the Superior Airport and a local Golf Course show the community's mid-century development.

Beyond the industrial center, the topography rises sharply at Apache Leap into the Tonto National Forest. The map documents a transition in mining history, preserving the locations of older operations like the Silver King Mine (Aband) and Fortuna Mine (Aband) alongside active sites such as the Belmont Mine and Queen Creek Mine. High-altitude landmarks like Kings Crown Peak and drainage systems including Queen Creek and Devils Canyon define the high-desert terrain.