1886 Map of Abajo

About this map

Bluff City sits at the heart of this late nineteenth-century territory, serving as a primary settlement along the winding San Juan River. The landscape is dominated by the high elevations of the Abajo Mts and the prominent Elk Ridge, featuring landmarks such as Abajo Peak, Mt Linnaeus, and the distinctive Orejas del Oso. This survey, compiled by J. W. Powell and geographers Henry Gannett and A. H. Thompson, provides a clear view of the complex drainage systems feeding the river, including Montezuma Creek, Cottonwood Wash, and Butler Wash. To the northeast, the Old Spanish Trail cuts across the high plateau, tracing a historic path through a region of deep washes and high desert valleys. The southern extent reaches into the Chin Lee Valley, mapping a frontier defined by seasonal springs and rugged canyon geography before the establishment of modern infrastructure.