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1968 Map of Anderson Canyon

Name: 1968 Topographic Map of Anderson Canyon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1982
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1982

About this map

Anderson Canyon and its many offshoot drainages define this high desert plateau in Coconino County, where water management was essential to ranching operations in the late 1960s. The landscape is marked by a network of catchments and wells, many bearing the names of local figures or families, such as Lute Hart Tank, Boyd Reid Tank, and Casner Tank. The terrain is deeply incised by erosion, with Wagon Box Draw, Yellow Jacket Canyon, and Wallace Canyon providing natural corridors through the mesa country.

Evidence of more significant infrastructure appears at Gorton Dam and the strategically placed Sinkhole Tank. Near the southern edge of the survey, the proximity to Raymond Buffalo Ranch suggests the pastoral economy that utilized these scattered water sources. This detailed topographic study illustrates how cattlemen and land managers adapted to the arid environment through features like Courthouse Well and Big Anderson Tank.