1998 Map of Buffalo Springs

About this map

The high plains along the Oklahoma-Texas border are defined here by the extensive acreage of the Rita Blanca National Grassland. This 1998 revision, based on earlier 1970s topography, illustrates a landscape where water is the primary driver of human presence and land use. Natural features such as the ephemeral Coldwater Creek and the eponymous Buffalo Springs provide critical hydration points in an otherwise arid environment. The map shows a scattered network of wells supporting the ranching and agricultural life of Dallam County. Evidence of local recreation and gathering is centered at Thompson Grove and the Thompson Grove Picnic Area, while the hydrological character of the region is further revealed by the Alkali Lakes and Water Lake. This sheet effectively documents the late 20th-century state of these public lands as they were managed under the Cibola National Forest.