1972 Map of Boiler Gap

About this map

Boiler Gap and Sand Gap provide natural passage through this high plains landscape in Union County, where the 1970s cattle-ranching economy relied heavily on groundwater. Evidence of this necessity appears in the named water sources and infrastructure, such as the Boiler Gap Spring, Vialpando Windmill, and Tellott Windmill. A network of intermittent drainages, including Corrumpa Creek and Rafael Creek, define the topography, cutting through the terrain between the mesas. For genealogists and local historians, the map identifies specific family-named sites and landmarks like Graves and Wood, along with a local Gravel Pit, providing specific coordinates for mid-century land use and human presence in this sparsely populated region of northeastern New Mexico.