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1952 Map of Yuma West

Name: 1952 Topographic Map of Yuma West
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1953
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1953

About this map

Colorado River water management dominates this borderlands landscape, where the Yuma Indian Reservation meets the international boundary between the United States and Mexico. The complex hydraulic engineering of the era is evident in the All American Canal, the Morelos Dam, and numerous control points like Hanlon Heading and Rockwood Heading. These systems transformed the arid terrain around Yuma into an agricultural grid, supported by the Main Canal and Reservation Main Canal.

Evidence of earlier western transit persists through the Butterfield Stage Route passing near Araz Junction, while the modern Southern Pacific railroad serves sidings at Ludy and Willetts. Local community life is anchored by schools such as Union High School and Crane School, and the growing town of Winterhaven sits just north of the river bend. The map also captures the topography of Pilot Knob and its associated Quarry, standing in sharp contrast to the flat, irrigated basin floors.