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1963 Map of Laguna Gatuna

Name: 1963 Topographic Map of Laguna Gatuna
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1974
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1974

About this map

Querecho Plains and the prominent Mescalero (The Caprock) Ridge dominate this landscape on the border of Eddy and Lea Counties. The map reveals an intensive mid-century petroleum economy, with large operations such as the North Lynch Oil Field, South Corbin Oil Field, and Pearl Oil Field spread across the arid terrain. These industrial zones are interspersed with a network of cattle operations, including the Smith Ranch, Bingham Ranch, and Allred Ranch, illustrating the cohabitation of ranching and mineral extraction.

Several ephemeral water bodies, or lagunas, dot the flats, most notably Laguna Gatuna, Laguna Tonto, and Laguna Plata. Aviation history is preserved here in the form of the Hobbs Air Force Base Auxiliary Field No 4 (Aband), which had already been decommissioned by this era. The small settlement of Halfway serves as a lone waypoint along the road system, providing a sense of the sparse human geography of this high desert region during the 1960s.