Loading map...

1992 Map of Tortuga

Name: 1992 Topographic Map of Tortuga
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1995
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1995

About this map

The Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range dominates the northern half of this landscape, its boundary cutting across the arid foothills of the Chocolate Mountain range. This 1990s revision reveals a stark desert environment where human infrastructure is defined by water management and transit corridors. The Coachella Canal and East Highline Canal flank the East Mesa, illustrating the engineering required to sustain this region.

Settlement is sparse, represented primarily by the tiny outposts at Tortuga and Amos along the desert tracks. Transportation history is visible in the Old Railroad Grade and the Niland-Glamis Road, which navigate the space between the rugged mountains and the shifting Algodones Dunes. Local topography is characterized by expansive drainages like Mammoth Wash and dry desert wells, including Barth Well (Dry) and Melson Well (Dry), reflecting the extreme environment.