1891 Map of Las Vegas

North of the city, Fort Union stands as a primary military and logistical outpost on the boundary of Mora and San Miguel counties. The landscape is defined by the drainages of the Mora River, Sapello Creek, and Gallinas Creek, which supported a network of small plazas and agricultural settlements such as La Cueva, Loma Parda, and Tecolote. These scattered communities, often named for local families or geography like Peñasco Blanco and San Geronimo, reflect the established Hispanic settlement patterns of the late nineteenth century.