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1907 Map of Vishnu

Name: 1907 Topographic Map of Vishnu
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1915
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1915

About this map

Hance Ranch and a remote Cabin represent the rare human outposts in this turn-of-the-century survey of Arizona's high desert. The landscape is defined by the deep carving of the Colorado River and its confluence with the Little Colorado River, cutting through the massive Coconino Plateau. Early explorers and surveyors applied mythic nomenclature to the surrounding peaks and formations, including the prominent Vishnu Temple, Wotans Throne, and Siegfried Pyre.

Transport through this vertical environment was limited to a series of precarious paths such as the Tonto Trail and the Asbestos Trail, which provided access to the Granite Gorge and Hance Rapids. The map predates the established national park, instead showing the early designation of the Grand Canyon National Monument nested within the Kaibab National Forest. It serves as an intricate record of the era's difficult mapping efforts by Francois E. Matthes and Richard T. Evans.