2005 Map of Dusty

About this map

Alamosa Creek carves a deep path through this New Mexico landscape at the boundary of Cibola National Forest and Gila National Forest. The settlement of Dusty sits in the southern portion of the quadrangle, serving as a rare anchor in a high-desert environment defined by ranching infrastructure and intermittent water sources. Evidence of the cattle industry is everywhere, from the McCracken Ranch Corral and Pigeon Cabin Corral to a vast network of water catchment systems such as Hells Tank, Shreves Tank, and Outlaw Tank. High points like Patterson Peak and Rock Springs Peak look down over the complex drainage patterns of Big Pigeon Canyon and Patterson Canyon. These labels indicate a geography shaped by family ranching and the pursuit of water in a territory where established trails and 4wd tracks provide the primary means of traversal between remote outposts like Tucker Ranch and Henderson Ranch.