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1891 Map of Higbee

Name: 1891 Topographic Map of Higbee
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1891
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1891

About this map

The Purgatoire River carves a winding path through the high plains of Southeast Colorado in this late nineteenth-century topographic study. Settlement is sparse, represented by the small outpost of Higbee and a solitary Ranch located at the river's bend. The landscape is defined by its drainage systems and deep incisions like Smith Canon and Anderson Canon, which illustrate the erosion patterns of the semi-arid high desert.

Ephemeral water sources such as Alkali Springs and the network of dry washes including Rule Creek and Hackberry Creek underscore the importance of water management for early stockmen in this region. This era captures the frontier as it moved from open range to more established county divisions between Otero, Bent, Las Animas, and Baca, providing a clear view of the topography before significant twentieth-century infrastructure and land-use changes altered the drainage basins.