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1977 Map of Chaco Mesa

Name: 1977 Topographic Map of Chaco Mesa
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1993
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1993

About this map

Chaco Mesa dominates this high-desert landscape in the late 1970s, where the Continental Divide winds through a region defined by complex drainage systems like Chaco Wash and Chico Arroyo. The map reveals a specific cultural and economic network of the era, marked by established remote outposts such as Star Lake Trading Post, Johnson Trading Post, and Prairie Dog Trading Post. These locations, along with settlements like Whitehorse and Hospah, illustrate the enduring reliance on trading centers in this corner of McKinley and Sandoval counties.

Energy and land preservation are captured in the presence of a Uranium Mine and the protected boundaries of Chaco Culture National Historical Park. The southern portion of the map transitions into the timbered elevations of the Cibola National Forest, while the namesake mesa is surrounded by dozens of named arroyos, including Arroyo San Isidro and Arroyo del Puerto, reflecting a terrain shaped by seasonal water and traditional land grants near Cabezon.