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1948 Map of Lake Lucero SW

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Lake Lucero SW
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1973
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1973

About this map

San Andres Mountains dominate the western half of this 1948 landscape, where rugged high-desert peaks transition sharply into the basin floor. This area represents a complex overlap of conservation and military history, with the San Andres National Wildlife Refuge protecting the higher elevations of Goat Mountain and Black Mountain while the eastern flats are designated as the White Sands Proving Grounds.

Remote ranching life is visible in the pockets of water that sustained late 1940s agriculture and livestock, including San Nicolas Spring and Leathermans Well. The presence of the Anti-Aircraft Range and its proximity to Fort Bliss illustrates the strategic Cold War importance of the Tularosa Basin during this era. Traceable landmarks like Saunders Ranch and SK White Ranch provide a look at the early settlement patterns before military expansion restricted much of the local access.