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1886 Map of Tusayan

Name: 1886 Topographic Map of Tusayan
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1891
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1891

About this map

The Province of Tusayan was surveyed in the early 1880s, revealing a landscape defined by ancestral mesas and the emerging infrastructure of the Southwest. Significant Hopi settlements such as Oraibi, Walpi, and Sichom-ivi are positioned atop the high plateaus, while the Moki Indian Res. Line demarks the territory. This early reconnaissance records the concentration of population in traditional villages during a time of intense geological and ethnological study by federal agencies.

To the south, the Little Colorado River valley shows the imprint of later 19th-century expansion. The Atlantic and Pacific Rail Road runs parallel to the river, connecting the settlements of Winslow, Brigham City, and Sunset. This corridor represents the technological shift that brought new trade and travelers through the region, contrasting with the ancient network of springs like Comar Spring and landmarks such as the Giants Chair and Monument Point that guided travel across the plateau.