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1968 Map of Center South

Name: 1968 Topographic Map of Center South
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1970
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1970

About this map

Center and the surrounding agricultural basin define this landscape, where a rigid grid of roads and water management systems supported the San Luis Valley farming economy in the late 1960s. The region is marked by its systematic drainage and irrigation network, including the Rio Grande Drain, Prairie Ditch, and Raney Ditch, alongside numerous Flowing Wells that indicate the importance of groundwater for local agriculture.

Small rail-side or agricultural stops like Ansel, Dunul, and Vastine underscore the rural settlement patterns of the era, while the Sargent High Sch serves as a central community landmark. The naming convention of the lateral roads—from Fourmile Road up to Twelvemile Rd—illustrates a highly organized surveyor's landscape, partitioned for efficiency between the borders of Saguache, Rio Grande, and Alamosa Counties.