Loading map...

1952 Map of Whipple Mts

Name: 1952 Topographic Map of Whipple Mts
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1952
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1952

About this map

Havasu Lake and the Colorado River define this desert landscape at the border of California and Arizona during the early 1950s. The map illustrates a transitional period of desert use, where traditional mining operations such as the American Eagle Mine and War Eagle No. 1 Mine are marked as inactive, while new recreational and infrastructure developments like Havasu Airpark and Needles Boat Landing begin to appear along the shoreline.

Industrial and military-adjacent sites like Site Six sit near the rugged Whipple Mountains and the Chemehuevi Mountains, which dominate the western half of the quadrangle. For the local historian or genealogist, the map identifies remote desert outposts and water sources critical to the era's survival and prospecting, including Tin Shack, Whipple Well, and Willow Spring. Large protected areas, including the Havasu Lake National Wildlife Refuge and the Chemehuevi Indian Reservation, highlight the complex land management of the Lower Colorado River valley.