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1936 Map of Chimney Rock

Name: 1936 Topographic Map of Chimney Rock
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1947
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1947

About this map

Ship Rock Indian Agency stands as the primary hub of administration and settlement in this mid-1930s survey of the Four Corners borderlands. The landscape is defined by the confluence of the San Juan River and the Chaco River, where a complex network of an Irrigation Ditch and various arroyos support life in the arid basin. Evidence of resource extraction and transit is visible through the Agency Coal Mine and the historic path of the Old Mormon Trail cutting across the high desert plateaus.

Prominent geological landmarks such as Chimney Rock and the massive ridge of The Hogback provide natural orientation points across the Navajo Indian Reservation and Southern Ute Indian Reservation. The map captures a moment of transition where traditional trails and rugged terrain like Popping Rock and Yellow Butte coexist with early state routes and developed water infrastructure near the Colorado-New Mexico boundary.