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1943 Map of Afton

Name: 1943 Topographic Map of Afton
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1949
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1949

About this map

The Rio Grande valley and the high Chihuahuan Desert dominate this 1940s landscape, illustrating the contrast between irrigated riverbottoms and the arid uplands of the Mesilla Valley. Along the river’s eastern edge, the land is intricately subdivided into the Mesilla Civil Colony and the Santo Tomas De Yturbide Colony, where a dense network of waterways including the Mesilla Ditch and West Side Canal supported early agricultural efforts.

Inland from the river, the Southern Pacific railroad cuts a diagonal path across the desert floor, passing through the remote siding at Afton. This interior region is defined by isolated outposts like Norwood Ranch, Fitzgerald Ranch, and Nunn Ranch, marking the sparse footprint of cattle ranching near volcanic landmarks such as Black Mesa and Little Black Mtn. Surveyed just before the mid-century, these details record the established water rights and ranching boundaries that shaped Doña Ana County.