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1957 Map of White Tank Mts. SE

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of White Tank Mts. SE
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1958
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

The White Tank Mts rise sharply from the desert floor in this late 1950s survey of western Maricopa County. This portion of the range is characterized by steep canyons and isolated peaks, many of which served as critical communication hubs as evidenced by the Microwave Radio Towers VABM 4018 and multiple Beacon sites mapped across the high ridges. Along the eastern foothills, the White Tank Proving Grounds marks a distinct transition from the wild mountain terrain to military and government land use.

Evidence of early exploration and resource hunting is found at a solitary Prospect on the western slopes, accessible only by a winding Jeep Trail. The map reveals a landscape defined by its utility for mid-century technology and defense, with triangulation stations like Vabm 3671 providing the precision needed for mapping this complex topography. For researchers, these details illustrate how the remote peaks were integrated into regional navigation and communication networks before the modern expansion of the Phoenix valley.