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1963 Map of Culberson Ranch

Name: 1963 Topographic Map of Culberson Ranch
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1986
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1986

About this map

High-desert ranching and water management define the landscape in this southwest corner of New Mexico during the early 1960s. The cattle-raising economy of Hidalgo County is evident through the widespread distribution of windmills and catchment basins, including Davis Windmill, Myers Windmill, and Ballard Windmill. Named family holdings such as Culberson Ranch and Reynolds Ranch anchor the territory, connected by unimproved roads and a utility Pipeline that traverses the terrain.

Ephemeral drainages such as Tenmile Canyon, Thompson Canyon, and Hoodoo Canyon carve through the landscape, illustrating the importance of local water sources like Willow Tank and Aikens Tank for sustaining livestock. On the northeastern edge of this rural expanse, the Lordsburg Golf Club appears as a notable recreational landmark, contrasting with the more industrial Borrow Pit sites found near the main thoroughfares. This survey provides a clear look at the spatial organization of New Mexico’s borderlands before modern development altered these traditional ranching boundaries.