1903 Map of Yuma

About this map

The Colorado River defines this landscape where the borders of California, Arizona, and Mexico converge. Around the turn of the century, the region was characterized by burgeoning irrigation projects and remote mining outposts. The Yuma Indian Reservation dominates the center of the sheet, while the town of Yuma serves as a critical rail hub for the Southern Pacific RR. Significant waterworks, including the Imperial Canal and American Slough, illustrate early efforts to reclaim the desert for agriculture near Somerton. To the north, the terrain transitions into the Chocolate Mountains, where the Picacho Mine and American Mine represent the area's early 20th-century gold and mineral extraction. Rail travelers of the era would have passed through now-quiet sidings like Ogilby and Cactus while crossing the eastern edge of the Sand Hills.