1948 Map of Lumley Lake

About this map

White Sands Proving Ground dominates this 1940s landscape, illustrating the rapid conversion of the New Mexico desert into a sprawling military testing site. The map documents the overlap between the Alamogordo Bombing Range and the shifting dunes of The Sands, where temporary encampments like MacDonald Camp and Malpais Camp sat amidst remote water sources. For genealogists and researchers, the map preserves names of specific ranching infrastructure that preceded or coexisted with the military occupation, such as McDonalds North Well, Smith Tank, and Turner Well. Distinctive markers of the early Cold War era appear as technical landmarks, including a Gas Lighthouse, multiple Identification Strips, and Landing Field No 2. These features, combined with the presence of Lumley Lake and Little Salt Lake, reveal a landscape where natural hydrology and strategic military preparation were inextricably linked.