1954 Map of Carracas

About this map

The Southern Ute Indian Reservation dominates this rugged borderland between Colorado and New Mexico, where the high-elevation terrain of Mesa Sandoval meets the canyon-cut lowlands. At the center of the regional geography is the confluence where the Piedra River and San Juan River feed into the Navajo Reservoir. This 1950s survey, updated in the early 1970s, captures a landscape defined by water management and transit history, specifically highlighting the Old Railroad Grade that winds south of the Carracas Rim. The small settlement of Carracas and the upland area of La Vega Redonda provide focal points for local history, while the map's purple revisions indicate areas subject to inundation by the rising reservoir waters. Deep drainages like Sandoval Canyon and Cabezon Canyon illustrate the complex watershed that defines this portion of Archuleta County.