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1981 Map of Bull Gap SW

Name: 1981 Topographic Map of Bull Gap SW
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1981
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1981

About this map

White Sands Missile Range dominates this orthophotomap of Lincoln County, New Mexico, illustrating a landscape where military infrastructure meets the harsh geography of the high desert. The map provides a photographic perspective of the Oscura Range Center and its surrounding support facilities, including an Observation Tower and a Heliport. This 1981 edition captures the area's transition into a specialized military testing ground, while still noting the basic ranching infrastructure that once defined the territory.

The geological features are particularly striking, with the dark, jagged flows of The Malpais and extensive areas of Lava cutting across the southeastern corner. Amidst this desert terrain, small water catchments like Dillard Tank, Sam Dillard Tank, and AAA Tank stand as vital landmarks for navigation and local history. The presence of the Lowden Windmill further underscores the legacy of human effort to find water in this arid environment before the establishment of the modern range.