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1985 Map of Fresno Canyon

Name: 1985 Topographic Map of Fresno Canyon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1985
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1985

About this map

Blanco Mesa and Encinada Mesa dominate this high-desert plateau region in the mid-1980s, revealing a landscape defined by an intricate network of drainages and dramatic elevation changes. The area is characterized by deep erosional features such as Blanco Canyon and Cañon Largo, which serve as the primary topographic markers for this portion of the San Juan Basin.

Specific geographic landmarks like Hollis Pass and family-named features including Onofre Jaquez Canyon and Jaquez Can point to a history of ranching and land use in this arid environment. The map details numerous tributary canyons such as Fresno Canyon, Cottonwood Canyon, and Star Canyon, which cut through the mesa tops to reach the larger washes below. This 1985 survey documents the terrain at the border of San Juan and Rio Arriba counties, capturing the remote nature of the New Mexico backcountry before modern development or intensive resource extraction altered these specific drainages.