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1954 Map of Capilla Peak

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of Capilla Peak
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1955
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1955

About this map

Cibola National Forest dominates this mid-century survey of the Manzano Mountains, where the landscape transitions from the arid western draws to the high, wooded peaks of the interior. The map records the high-elevation infrastructure of the era, including the Capilla Peak summit area which houses a Lookout Tower and the Capilla Peak Observatory.

Along the eastern slopes, the terrain is deeply incised by dozens of named canyons, such as Cañon de la Vereda and Cañon del Trigo, which drained the snowmelt toward the valley floor. Evidence of human presence is concentrated in these eastern canyons and along the ridge, connected by the Crest Trail. Of particular interest to local historians is the site of McKinley Place (Aband) near the Torreon Tajique Loop Road, marking a point of habitation that had already been vacated by the time of the 1954 field check.