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1960 Map of Trona

Name: 1960 Topographic Map of Trona
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1960
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

Industrial operations around Searles Lake anchor this mid-century view of the high desert, where the company town of Trona and the nearby Westend serve as centers for mineral extraction. The vast landscape transitions from the residential hubs of Ridgecrest and Inyokern in the west to the southern reaches of Death Valley National Monument in the north. This survey documents a critical period of desert utility, showing the extensive Camp Irwin Military Reservation and the complex network of spring-fed outposts like Saratoga Spring and Bitter Spring.

Old mining legacies are visible in the clusters around Randsburg, Johannesburg, and Atolia, while the eastern portion of the map traces the path of the Amargosa River toward Soda Lake. Significant transportation routes, including the Spanish Trail and the Southern railroad, delineate the corridors of movement that connected these isolated mining and military outposts to the broader California interior.