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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: 1964
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1964

About this map

The White Tank Mts. dominate this mid-century landscape, a region defined by high-elevation peaks and strategic infrastructure during the Cold War era. The map reveals the early technological footprint in the desert, featuring a Microwave Radio Tower and the Microwave Radio Towers VABM 4018 atop significant ridgelines. These communication sites, alongside several survey points like VABM Light 3671 and multiple Beacons, illustrate the area's importance for aviation and regional signaling.

Lower elevations to the southeast transition into the White Tank Proving Grounds, indicating a landscape partitioned for military or specialized testing purposes. Human activity remains sparse, with a single Prospect suggesting mineral exploration and a network of Jeep Trails providing the only access through the steep terrain. This survey captures a moment when the desert was primarily a site for high-altitude monitoring and defense-related expansion before suburban growth reached these western reaches of Maricopa County.