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1982 Map of La Junta

Name: 1982 Topographic Map of La Junta
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1983
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1983

About this map

La Junta stands as a vital crossroads on this early 1980s landscape, positioned where the Arkansas River and the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad meet. The map reveals the deep historical layers of the region, tracing the path of the Santa Fe Trail as it cuts southwest toward Timpas and Bloom. To the south, the terrain transforms as the Purgatoire River carves through a labyrinth of canyons and mesas, including the Black Hills and OV Mesa.

Remote settlements and ranching outposts like Higbee, Ninview, and Toonerville dot the high plains and river breaks. Water remains the primary shaper of human activity, from the Setchfield Reservoir State Wildlife Area to the complex arroyo systems of Smith Canyon and Lockwood Arroyo. This survey captures a transition zone between the irrigated river valley and the limestone bluffs of the Dixie Bluffs.