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1973 Map of Caprock

Name: 1973 Topographic Map of Caprock
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1985
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1985

About this map

Caprock and the nearby Caprock Ranch anchor this landscape along the border of Chaves and Lea counties during the early 1970s. The region is defined by a heavy reliance on groundwater, illustrated by a dense network of specialized watering points including Church Pasture Windmill, Bull Pasture Well, and Heifer Well. These names reflect the specific livestock management practices of the High Plains ranching economy of the era.

Energy extraction is the other dominant force on the land, with the extensive Mescalero Oil Field and various Oil Fields marked by numerous Oil Wells and a crisscrossing Pipeline network. The terrain transitions from the open stretches of Sand Gate to the cut of Polecat Canyon, showing a remote landscape where every named well and windmill served as a critical waypoint for those working the desert range.