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1981 Map of Capitan Peak

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

USGS Topo · Published 1981

About this map

Capitan Mountains dominate this landscape within the Lincoln National Forest, where a network of remote springs and water tanks supported the high-altitude ranching and livestock operations of the early 1980s. The topography is defined by sharp elevation changes from Capitan Peak down to the drainage of Chavez Creek. Scattered improvements such as Starrett Ranch and the Baca Campground illustrate the dual use of this land for private grazing and public recreation.

A complex system of primitive routes, including the Pack Trail and numerous jeep trails, provides access to isolated water sources like Seven Cabins Spring, Figure Seven Spring, and Mitten Bar Spring. These features, along with specialized landmarks like the Radio Facility and numerous stock tanks including Latham Tank and Whitaker Tank, reveal how the forest was managed and utilized during this era. The concentration of family-named canyons, such as Torrez Canyon and Ellis Canyon, suggests a long history of local land use and tenure in Lincoln County.