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1948 Map of Holloman

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Holloman
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1956
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1956

About this map

Holloman Air Force Base dominates the central portion of this 1948 survey, reflecting the rapid expansion of military and aerospace testing in the New Mexico desert following World War II. The landscape is a mix of tactical installations and natural phenomena, with the Proving Ground and Alamogordo Bombing Range overlapping the shifting geography of the White Sands. Detailed labels reveal a specialized environment of research and defense, including a Radio Beam Sta, a Rifle Range, and even a Jeep Target.

Bordering these military operations is the White Sands National Monument, featuring the National Park Quarters and the Waiters Ranch reservoir. Water management in this arid region is documented through a network of isolated outposts such as McNatt Ranch and numerous family-named landmarks like Brownfield Well and Truess Well, which supported both early ranching and the emerging scientific presence of the California Institute of Technology.