1967 Map of Black Mountain

About this map

The high plateaus of Gila Mesa and the broken topography of the Gila National Forest define this 1967 survey of western New Mexico. This is a landscape of strategic water management, where numerous named livestock tanks and windmills, such as Birthday Windmill and Armijo Tank, are scattered across the high country to support ranching in an otherwise arid environment. The transition from the forest into the Gila Wilderness is marked by significant elevation changes, culminating at the Black Mountain Lookout Tower, a vital sentinel for forest fire detection in this remote timberland.