1963 Map of Fourmile Canyon

About this map

Frances Mesa and the surrounding high desert plateaus of Rio Arriba County dominate this early 1960s survey. The landscape is defined by the sharp incisions of Gobernador Canyon and Fourmile Canyon, revealing a terrain utilized for both cattle grazing and resource extraction. Evidence of the region's mid-century energy development is visible through a network of pipelines and numerous gas wells scattered across Navajo Pasture. The map provides a look at the remote Gobernador Camp and the nearby Gobernador Sch, indicating a small, localized community center supporting the area's ranchers and oil field workers. This era represents a period when mechanical improvements, like the local Landing Strip, were becoming essential for navigating and managing the vast distances between isolated settlements and industrial outposts in the San Juan Basin.