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1949 Map of Juan Lake

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Juan Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1949
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1949

About this map

Walker Air Base Auxiliary Landing Field No 1 occupies the northeastern corner of this landscape, marking a period of military aviation expansion in Chaves County following the war. The terrain is defined by a network of drainage channels including Thirteenmile Draw, Zubi Draw, and Made Draw, which cut through the arid plains toward seasonal catchments like Juan Lake and Antelope Lake.

Surface water is scarce, as evidenced by the high concentration of named water infrastructure critical to local ranching and survival. Genealogists and local historians can trace family-named sites such as Humphrys Well, West Well, and Haney Well, alongside others like Burnt Well and New Well. This 1949 survey, compiled in part from 1947 aerial photography, captures a rugged landscape where life centered on the strategic placement of these wells and the ephemeral flows of the draws.