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1966 Map of El Morro Mesa

Name: 1966 Topographic Map of El Morro Mesa
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1982
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1982

About this map

El Morro Mesa dominates the central landscape of this De Baca County region, rising above the surrounding high plains and drainage systems. The map captures a moment in the mid-1960s where the sparse settlement pattern of eastern New Mexico is defined by isolated outposts such as Overton Ranch and Jasper Ranch. To the south, Gramma Valley opens up, while Yeso Creek cuts through the northern sections, providing a critical water source in this arid environment.

A functional rural infrastructure is visible through features like the Landing Strip near the creek and several water management points labeled Water Tank and Well. The inclusion of Ruins and a Gravel Pit suggests earlier human activity and small-scale resource extraction. Photorevised in the early 1980s, the map provides a look at the transition of ranching lands before modern shifts, documenting precise locations of the Base Line and original ranching homesteads.