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1967 Map of Elkins

Name: 1967 Topographic Map of Elkins
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1982
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1982

About this map

The Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad cuts diagonally through this Chaves County landscape, anchoring the small settlement of Elkins in a region defined by arid basins and isolated ranching outposts. This 1967 survey, updated with purple revisions in the early 1980s, reveals a network of water management features essential for high-plains survival, including the Elkins Water Tank and numerous catchments like Seesaw Tank and Barringer Tank.

Evidence of early territorial life is scattered across the terrain, from a lonely Grave south of Samples Lake to the established South Cratten-Muncy Ranch. The topography transitions from the alkaline flats of Little Red Lake and White Lake toward the elevated reaches of Palma Mesa in the south. These features, combined with markers like the Smith Windmill, trace the difficult history of ranching and rail commerce in the Pecos Valley region.