1968 Map of Ima

About this map

Luciano Mesa dominates the northern half of this landscape, its steep escarpments dropping sharply into the wide Alamogordo Valley below. This late-1960s survey documents a quiet ranching region on the boundary of Quay and Guadalupe Counties, where human activity is concentrated at the Ima (Site) and the nearby Merrill Ranch. The drainage pattern is defined by a series of branching systems like Darnell Canyon and Taylor Canyon that feed toward the south, while the broad, level surfaces of Ogle Flat and West Flat occupy the high ground in the east. Traces of local utility and transport are visible in the network of unimproved roads and fence lines that crisscross the terrain, connecting isolated water sources such as the Water Tank and several small, unnamed reservoirs used for livestock in this arid environment.