1956 Map of Wister

About this map

The Salton Sea shoreline dominates the western edge of this Imperial County landscape, sitting 235 feet below sea level as of mid-century. This desert basin is a study in managed water and military usage, defined by the irrigation network of the Coachella Canal and East Highline Canal, alongside numerous laterals like Niland Lateral 5. The Southern Pacific railroad cuts a diagonal line across the terrain, connecting the small stop of Wister with Mundo and Iris. Much of the eastern landscape is dedicated to the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range, its extent marked by a formal Naval Reservation Boundary. Between the military lands and the sea, the Wister Waterfowl Management Area preserves a critical habitat within the East Mesa, showing how the arid environment was partitioned for conservation, agriculture, and defense.