1978 Map of Big Hole Canyon

About this map

The High Plains landscape of southeastern Colorado meets the Oklahoma border in this late-1970s survey, defined by the intricate drainages and canyon systems that break the mesa country. Big Hole and its namesake Big Hole Spring serve as central landmarks in a region where water sources are the primary indicators of human activity and history. The terrain is marked by numerous family-named or topographical springs such as Regnar Spring, Trujillo Spring, and Hatfield Spring, which likely served as vital hubs for cattle ranching operations on both sides of the state line. In the southern portion of the sheet, the Little Black Mesa rises above the North Fork Carrizo Creek, illustrating the transition from open prairie to more complex rimrock topography. Narrow canyons like Whitby Canyon and Pat Canyon cut through the landscape, revealing the remote and cattle-driven character of this borderland.