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1956 Map of Wiest

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Wiest
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1957
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

The Alamo River snakes through this Imperial County landscape, defining a complex irrigation network essential to mid-century California agriculture. This 1956 survey illustrates a strictly engineered environment where named lateral drains and canals, such as the Vail Supply Canal and Magnolia Lateral Drain, create a geometric grid across the desert floor. Small settlements and transit points like Wiest, Munyon, and Butters are situated along the Southern Pacific rail line and primary thoroughfares like Wiest Road.

Conservation efforts are evident in the Imperial Waterfowl Management Area located near the western edge of the quadrangle. Local community life is anchored by the Mulberry School, while water bodies like Wiest Lake and Gieselmann Lake provide rare breaks in the surrounding agricultural parcels. The map captures the peak of this irrigation-based economy, showing how every acre was accounted for by the State of California Department of Water Resources.