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1979 Map of Button Mesa NE

Name: 1979 Topographic Map of Button Mesa NE
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1986
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1986

About this map

The Chaveroo Oil Field dominates this High Plains landscape along the boundary of Roosevelt and Chaves counties. Surveyed in the mid-1970s and updated with 1980s aerial data, the map reveals an intensive network of energy extraction infrastructure, characterized by hundreds of Oil Wells, a network of subterranean pipelines, and numerous Gravel Pits used for lease road maintenance.

Scatterings of ranching outposts like Tucker Ranch provide a counterpoint to the industrial development. Named water sources, essential for survival in this arid terrain, are identified by family and descriptive names including Burnett Well, The Big Well, and Davis Well. These sites, along with several Drill Holes, mark the intersection of traditional cattle ranching and the mid-century expansion of the petroleum industry in eastern New Mexico.