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1954 Map of Elder

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of Elder
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1956
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1956

About this map

The Arkansas River corridor in Otero County is defined here by a sophisticated network of irrigation systems and transportation routes. Water management is the primary driver of the local landscape, evidenced by the prominent Catlin Canal, Otero Canal, and the Farmers Oxford Ditch, which parallel the river and the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad line. South of the river valley, the terrain rises into the distinctive Apishapa Bluff and Apishapa Mesa No 2, where the Apishapa River meanders toward its confluence.

Local life in the mid-1950s is centered around the settlement of Elder and the nearby Number Six Sch. Evidence of shifting land use is found in the Abandoned Ditch and Abandoned Canal markings, indicating where earlier irrigation efforts were superseded. In the eastern portion of the sheet, the Mount View Cemetery stands as a significant genealogical landmark, while various water sources like the Artesian Spring and Smith Hollow highlight the importance of every drainage in this semi-arid environment.