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1966 Map of Kirtland SE

Name: 1966 Topographic Map of Kirtland SE
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1986
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1986

About this map

The Navajo Indian Reservation landscape is defined by its industrial and topographical features in this mid-1960s study, later updated with photorevisions in the late 1970s. The terrain is marked by the deep cut of Ojo Amarillo Canyon in the northeast, while the rest of the quadrangle reveals a network of resource extraction and infrastructure. Numerous sites labeled as Drill Hole and Gas Well are scattered across the high desert, indicating a period of significant geological exploration and energy development.

Infrastructure like the prominent Pipeline runs diagonally across the reservation, connecting these remote extraction points. Historical survey markers, such as Azimuth 1906, remain as permanent fixtures on the land alongside local water sources like Blackwater Well. The map captures a moment when traditional land use on the reservation intersected with modern energy needs, documented through photogrammetric methods by the Bureau of Reclamation.