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1956 Map of Wister

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Wister
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1968
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1968

About this map

The Salton Sea shoreline dominates the western edge of this 1950s landscape, sitting 235 feet below sea level. This Imperial County territory is defined by the sharp contrast between engineered irrigation and military exclusion zones. The Southern Pacific railroad corridor serves as the primary spine for development, passing through small rail sidings and settlements like Wister, Mundo, and Iris. To the east, the intensive network of the Coachella Canal and various Niland laterals, such as Niland Lateral 5, demonstrate the mid-century effort to reclaim the desert for agriculture and conservation.

Conservation efforts are anchored by the Wister Waterfowl Management Area, which occupies the low-lying flats near the sea. The landscape shifts abruptly to the northeast, where the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range marks the beginning of the rugged desert uplands. Notable landmarks like the Rock Quarry and Ball VABM 848 provide rare points of elevation in an otherwise strictly surveyed grid of canals and drains.