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1967 Map of Lobatos

Name: 1967 Topographic Map of Lobatos
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1971
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1971

About this map

Lobatos and its surrounding high-desert agricultural landscape are defined by a complex network of man-made waterways during the mid-1960s. The settlement pattern follows the lifeblood of the Conejos River and Rio San Antonio, where an intricate system of irrigation ditches supports local ranching. Family and descriptive names appear throughout this system, including the Seledonio Valdez Ditch, Heads Mill Ditch, and Fuertecitos Ditch, illustrating how water rights and land use were partitioned.

The terrain shifts from the river bottomlands toward the Pinon Hills, where water management becomes even more prominent with the presence of the Cove Lake Reservoir and Alta Lake Reservoir. An Old Railroad Grade cutting across the southwestern quadrant provides a physical trace of former transportation routes, while the Lobatos Cem and scattered sites like the T Bone Ranch offer specific points of interest for genealogists and local historians studying this portion of Conejos County.