1939 Map of La Ventana

About this map

The Rio Puerco and its dry arroyo tributaries carve through the high country of Sandoval County, where New Mexico's mining and logging industries met the rugged edges of the Santa Fe National Forest. This late 1930s survey documents a landscape of isolated settlements and specialized outposts, from the Luciani Mines and San Miguel Mine near La Ventana to the higher elevation Ojitos Logging Camp. Small rural schools like Gonzalitos Sch and San Miguel Sch served the families scattered among the canyons and mesas, while the Blue Bird Ranger Station and Rio de las Vacas Ranger Cabin managed the timber and water resources of the interior. The map captures the varied terrain of the Ojo del Espiritu Santo land grant, showing a network of unimproved roads and trails connecting the lower river valley to the timbered heights of Joaquin Mesa.