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1965 Map of El Paso Canyon

Name: 1965 Topographic Map of El Paso Canyon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1979
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1979

About this map

Lincoln National Forest and the northern reaches of the Fort Bliss Military Reservation dominate this landscape in Otero County, illustrating a mid-century period where federal land management and military defense infrastructure defined the region. The map reveals a high-elevation drainage system characterized by deep incisions such as El Paso Canyon and Arkansas Canyon, which feed toward the Sacramento River in the northeast corner.

The absence of permanent settlements is replaced by a network of essential water sources for ranching or military use, including Womack Tank, Sombrero Tank, and Rim Tank. High points like Culp Peak provide topographical anchors for the complex series of ridges and canyons, including West McAfee Canyon and Wildcat Canyon. This 1965 survey serves as a precise record of these rugged boundaries and the primitive jeep trails that provided the only access through this interior high-country terrain.