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1954 Map of Lamar

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of Lamar
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1964
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1964

About this map

The Arkansas River corridor serves as the primary artery for settlement and agriculture across this portion of southeastern Colorado and western Kansas. By the mid-1950s, a sophisticated network of water management is visible, anchored by the John Martin Reservoir and reinforced by the Amity Canal and Granada Ditch. These irrigation systems support established river towns like Rocky Ford, Las Animas, and Lamar, where the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad follows the water's edge.

North of the river, the landscape transitions to high plains, where the Missouri Pacific and Union Pacific lines dictate the placement of smaller hubs such as Eads and Cheyenne Wells. The presence of Amity Cemetery and numerous smaller reservoirs like Adobe Creek Reservoir and Nee Noshe Reservoir reflects a landscape carefully adapted for ranching and dryland farming during this era of post-war agricultural stabilization.