Loading map...

1956 Map of Hope

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Hope
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1957
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

The agricultural settlement of Hope anchors this Eddy County landscape, revealing an intricate network of water management in the high desert of the 1950s. The map documents the vital role of irrigation through the Johnson Ditch and numerous unnamed ditches that crisscross the terrain, alongside evidence of shifting water use seen in the Abandoned Ditch and Abandoned Canal markings. These systems were essential for sustaining the isolated homesteads and livestock operations typical of the region, such as the Cole Place, Hunter Place, and Mc Ashan Ranch.

Surface drainage is defined by several prominent ephemeral watercourses, including Eagle Draw and Rio Penasco Draw, which carve through the arid topography. Local history and genealogy are anchored by the Hope South Cem located south of the main township. The landscape transitions from the concentrated grid of the town site to the more open ranching land of the 100 Ranch, providing a clear record of land division and residency before later twentieth-century developments altered the rural character.