1981 Map of Gilmore Draw

About this map

The Jornada Experimental Range dominates this portion of the New Mexico landscape, illustrating the intersect of agricultural research and military operations in the early 1980s. The presence of the White Sands Missile Range along the eastern boundary underscores the strategic use of this arid basin. Water management is the primary marker of human activity here, evidenced by a network of catchments such as Lyons Tank, Sand Hills Tanks, and House Pasture Tank. These features, along with the House Pasture Windmill, supported the operations at Hills Ranch in a region defined by ephemeral watercourses like Gilmore Draw and Blackshire Draw. A network of Jeep Trails provides the only passage through this scrubland, tracing paths across the Indefinite Boundary that separates Sierra and Doña Ana counties.