1968 Map of Bascom Camp

About this map

The Canadian River winds through the high plains of Eastern New Mexico in this late-1960s survey, where the river's path is marked by the sprawling boundaries of the Pablo Montoya and Baca Location No 2 land grants. Ranching life is evident at Bascom Camp and the nearby Bascom Pens, while a network of Jeep Trails provides access to the broken terrain between the river and its southern tributaries like Pajarito Creek. To the east, the rising waters of the Ute Reservoir begin to fill the canyon, a transformation noted by the map's light-blue inundation patterns. The map captures the meeting of three major geographic systems: the ancient Spanish land grant system, the rugged drainage of the Canadian river basin, and the mid-century infrastructure of water management.