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1963 Map of Vekol Mountains

Name: 1963 Topographic Map of Vekol Mountains
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1965
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1965

About this map

Mining operations and Papago settlements define this arid stretch of the Papago Indian Reservation as it was surveyed in the 1930s and updated in the early 1960s. The landscape is marked by historical extraction sites including the Vekol Mine (Ruins), Reward Mine, and Great Eastern Mine, which are situated at the base of the Vekol Mountains. These operations, along with the Copperosity Mine and Greenback Mine, point to an era of concentrated prospecting within the Copperosity Hills.

Remote desert life centers on small communities and water sources such as Kohatk, Sif Vaya, and Totopitk. Seasonal drainage patterns are visible through the extensive networks of the Vekol Wash and Santa Rosa Wash, which carve through the Vekol Valley and Santa Rosa Valley. A solitary pipeline and various jeep trails provide the only modern infrastructure across these traditional lands, connecting isolated wells like Bitter Well to the broader region.