Loading map...

1949 Map of Trona

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Trona
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1958
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

Trona serves as the industrial anchor for this mid-century desert landscape, situated at the edge of the mineral-rich Searles Lake and the vast Borax Flat. The 1949 field check reveals a community deeply integrated with the extraction economy, connected to the outside world via the Trona Railway and the Trona Airport. Beyond the processing centers, the Argus Range rises sharply, its canyons dotted with early mining operations such as the Mohawk Mine, Orendo Mine, and the Ruth Mine.

Water sources are vital and scarce in this arid environment, marked by isolated points like Indian Joe Spring, Bainter Spring, and Valley Wells. The map details a landscape of transition where the Naval Reservation boundary meets local ranching and mining interests. For the researcher, the sheet provides a precise look at the early infrastructure supporting the California desert's chemical and mining industries before modern expansion altered the footprint of these remote outposts.