2022 Map of Earl

About this map

The Purgatoire River valley defines this landscape in Las Animas County, where a complex network of historic irrigation systems like Hoehne Ditch, Model Ditch, and the Lewelling Mc Cormick Ditch support high-plains agriculture. The small settlement of Earl serves as a central point along the rail and road corridor, surrounded by numerous ephemeral waterways including Furness Arroyo and Blackwell Arroyo. Genealogists and local historians can locate the Bloom Cem and Wilcox Cem, which remain as distinct markers of early ranching and farming families in this high desert region. The presence of the Perry Stokes Airport and the Gagliardi Reservoir indicate the modern infrastructure that has developed alongside traditional land uses in the western reaches of the quadrangle.