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1953 Map of Basin Well

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Basin Well
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1954
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1954

About this map

The boundary between Chaves Co and Eddy Co cuts through this high desert plateau, where the local economy in the early 1950s was defined by ranching and the nascent oil industry. Significant water management features are mapped across the landscape, including the Lake (Salt) and a series of livestock tanks such as Sink Hole Tank and Double Wells Tank. The reliance on underground aquifers is evidenced by the Windmill Salt Well and the isolated High Lonesome Windmill.

Industrial activity is captured through numerous markers for Oil Well, including those categorized as dry or capped, alongside designated Oil Tanks. The presence of a Landing Strip in the southeastern quadrant suggests the logistical demands of managing remote resource extraction and cattle operations in this corner of New Mexico. Small geographical markers like Ishee and the namesake Basin Well provide specific points of interest for those tracing the development of these ranching lands.