1953 Map of Ghost Ranch

About this map

The Piedra Lumbre Grant and surrounding public lands of the Carson National Forest dominate this Northern New Mexico landscape during the mid-20th century. The area is defined by massive landforms like Mesa Montosa and Yeso Mesa, which overlook the expansive Llano Piedra Lumbre. At the heart of the quadrangle is the famed Ghost Ranch, shown alongside other small developments like El Monte Rojo and a CCC Camp. This 1953 survey, updated in the late 1970s, captures a transition in water management and land use, with the Rio Chama Reservoir filling the southern canyon floor. The map tracks numerous drainage patterns, including the Arroyo Seco and Comanche Arroyo, which cut through the high-desert terrain toward the Chama River system.