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1963 Map of Las Vegas SE

Name: 1963 Topographic Map of Las Vegas SE
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1981
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1981

About this map

The LAS VEGAS landscape south of the city center reveals a ranching economy defined by scattered homesteads and topographical challenges in the early 1960s. Family-named outposts like the Lewis Ranch, Spurlock Ranch, and Belden Ranch are situated among a complex network of small lakes and depressions on the plains. To the south, the terrain drops dramatically into the Cañon del Agua, where the Cañon del Agua Springs provided a vital water source for livestock and residents in this arid San Miguel County environment.

Industrial activity is sparsely represented by a Gravel Pit and an Oil Well, suggesting the early stages of resource exploration. Local history is anchored by a small Cem and a site of Ruins near the canyon rim, offering a physical connection to earlier inhabitants of the plateau. The placement of the Leatherwood Ranch along Pagosa Creek illustrates how these 20th-century ranching operations followed the natural drainage patterns of the high plains to sustain their herds.