Loading map...

1955 Map of Desert SE

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Desert SE
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1962
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1962

About this map

The Hueco Mountains dominate this 1950s survey of the high desert along the border of New Mexico and Texas. The landscape is defined by the vital necessity of water management in an arid climate, marked by a series of catchment features including Chaparral Tank, Flat Tank, Coyote Tank, and Lake Tank. These features suggest a history of ranching or livestock management in a region where natural surface water is scarce.

Signs of mid-century industrial and aviation activity are also evident. An Oil Well appears in the northern sections, while a Landing Strip (Aband) sits near the western edge of the mountains, hinting at earlier periods of accessibility or survey work. The presence of Ruins in the northeastern hills provides a archaeological or historical anchor to the map, marking a location where permanent structures once stood before the mid-20th century.