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2020 Map of Indian Draw

Name: 2020 Topographic Map of Indian Draw
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2020
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2020

About this map

Indian Draw and a complex network of seasonal drainages define this arid section of Otero County, where water management is the primary marker of human activity on the land. In this high-desert environment, a series of essential water catchments like Munson Tank, Merrit Tank, and Smith Tank are strategically distributed across the landscape to support livestock. These features, along with Otto Tank and George Tank, provide evidence of the ranching infrastructure required to utilize these remote basins.

Transportation is facilitated by a grid of local routes, including Co RD e005 and Co RD e008, which navigate between prominent natural depressions. Names such as Moccasin Draw, Lucky Draw, and Rough Draw reveal a history of local identification based on the challenges and character of the terrain. The map captures the specialized geography of the New Mexico interior, where every named tank and draw represents a critical point of survival and orientation.