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1971 Map of Floating W Ranch

Name: 1971 Topographic Map of Floating W Ranch
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1973
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1973

About this map

Floating W Ranch sits at the center of this 1970s landscape, where the high plains transition into a complex system of drainages along the border of Bent and Baca counties. The map captures a rural ranching economy defined by water access and intermittent stream beds like Mud Creek and Little Arroy Creek. A significant marker of local community life is the Prairie Hill School, located just north of the prominent Prairie Hill elevation.

Evidence of the era's infrastructure and land use is visible through several isolated Wells and a Radio Tower that punctuate the terrain. To the south, the landscape is carved by Maverick Creek and Two Butte Creek, which are accessed by a network of unimproved roads and a Jeep Trail. The presence of a Gravel Pit near the creek beds indicates small-scale local resource extraction, serving the transport needs of this sparsely populated cattle country.