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2019 Map of Earl

Name: 2019 Topographic Map of Earl
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2019
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2019

About this map

The Purgatoire River carves through this portion of Las Animas County, supporting a network of historic irrigation infrastructure essential to high-plains agriculture. Engineers and early settlers developed the Model Ditch, Hoehne Ditch, and Lewelling Mc Cormick Ditch to divert water from the river to nearby farmsteads. These man-made channels contrast with the natural drainages of the Chicosa Arroyo and Blackwell Arroyo that crisscross the landscape.

Local history and genealogy are centered around the small settlement of Earl and the presence of family landmarks like Bloom Cem and Wilcox Cem. Transportation and utility infrastructure are visible through the Perry Stokes Airport and a grid of county roads, such as Co RD 40, which facilitate movement between the scattered reservoirs and arroyos. The map documents the persistent human effort to manage water in a semi-arid environment, anchored by the Gagliardi Reservoir.