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1952 Map of Belen NW

Name: 1952 Topographic Map of Belen NW
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1953
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1953

About this map

The Nicolas Duran De Chavez Grant and Belen Grant define the land divisions in this 1952 topographic study of the Valencia region. The landscape is characterized by the meandering path of the Rio Puerco and the prominent Monte Belen, reflecting a high-desert environment where water management was central to local survival. Strategically placed infrastructure, including the Guzman Reservoir, Metate Reservoir, and Escondido Reservoir, highlights the efforts to sustain the area's grazing and ranching economy.

Remote outposts such as Shearing Corral Windmill, Popalito Windmill, and Pueblo Windmill serve as critical markers for local history and genealogy, identifying specific points of human activity within the larger land grants. The presence of the Target Res and various unnamed arroyos further illustrates the drainage patterns and the practical utility of the terrain during the mid-twentieth century.