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1954 Map of Burnt Mesa

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of Burnt Mesa
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1956
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1956

About this map

Burnt Mesa dominates this high-country landscape in San Juan County, where the deep drainages of the Los Pinos River and the San Juan River converge. In the mid-1950s, this area was a network of remote homesteads and ranching outposts, many identified by family names such as Lucero Place and the Young Place. The map captures a moment of transition where several older settlements are explicitly noted as inactive, including the Garcia Place and the Christopher Place.

Education in this isolated terrain was anchored at the Benito Sch, located near Benito Canyon. Human engineering is further evidenced by a prominent Pipeline traversing the canyons and a distinctive geological landmark known as Hole in Rock. The complex topography is defined by dozens of named draws, from Cottonwood Canyon to the deep Negro Canyon and Lewis Canyon, illustrating the rugged drainage system feeding the river valleys below.