1956 Map of Diamond A Ranch

About this map

Diamond A Ranch and the White Ranch define the ranching landscape of this New Mexico territory, where water management was essential for survival and industry. The winding course of the Rio Hondo is flanked by a complex system of a ditch, levee, and an aqueduct, revealing the engineering required to sustain these remote outposts. Scattered throughout the drainage basins of Thirteenmile Draw and Rocky Arroyo are several utilitarian landmarks, including Highway Mill, Eighteenmile Mill, and Fruit Mill. These mills, along with the Center Mill, represent the infrastructure of the mid-20th-century cattle economy. The terrain is further etched by numerous intermittent watercourses like Johnson Draw and Buchanan Draw, illustrating the arid, drainage-cut character of the Chaves County landscape during this era of planetable surveying and early aerial photography.