Loading map...

1982 Map of Lost River

Name: 1982 Topographic Map of Lost River
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1987
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1987

About this map

White Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air Force Base dominate this Otero County landscape, where the stark desert terrain of shifting sand meets federal military infrastructure. The map reveals the functional layout of the base, including several observation towers and a radio tower positioned along the high speed test track. Beyond the military boundaries, the natural drainage of the Lost River basin and intermittent watercourses like Sheep Draw and Hay Draw illustrate the harsh hydrology of the Tularosa Basin.

Local landmarks such as Danley Well and the Pritch Site offer specific points of interest for researchers studying the human footprint in this specialized environment. A lone Jeep Trail cuts through the shifting dunes, providing the only depicted access route through the more remote northern sections of the range. This orthophotomap format combines traditional topographic contours with aerial imagery, providing a literal view of the vegetation patterns and dune formations as they existed in the early 1970s.