Loading map...

1953 Map of Virgin Basin

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Virgin Basin
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1960
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

Lake Mead dominates this mid-century survey of the Virgin Basin, where the submerged channels of the Virgin River and Colorado River meet. Compiled using aerial photography from 1950 and underwater contours from earlier sedimentation studies, the map reveals the complex shoreline of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area during its early decades. Isolated outposts like Bonelli Landing and the Temple Bar Boat Anchorage serve as primary access points along the expansive water.

The landscape is characterized by dramatic geological formations such as The Temple, Napoleon Tomb, and the Mineral Buttes. Traces of earlier desert transit and industry remain visible through the Ferry Road, a lone Lakeside Mine, and several remote springs including Agua Chiquita Spring and Walker Spr. High points like Bonelli Peak and Muddy Peak frame the basin, while the underwater data provides a unique view of the canyon floor before years of further siltation altered the reservoir's depths.