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1893 Map of Mesa De Maya

Name: 1893 Topographic Map of Mesa De Maya
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1901
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1901

About this map

The high tablelands of Las Animas County appear in the early 1890s as a landscape of deep canyons and isolated outposts. Topographer A.C. Barclay charted this territory when the Denver Texas & Ft Worth RR cut through the southwestern corner, connecting the mesa country to broader markets. Early settlements like Troy, Indianapolis, and Watervale are shown positioned near vital water sources such as Trinchera Creek and Alkali Arroyo, illustrating the precarious nature of ranching and habitation in this semi-arid region.

The massive Mesa De Maya dominates the southeastern quadrant, its escarpments giving way to a complex drainage system including Chaquaqua Canyon and Longs Canyon. This 1890 survey captures the area just before the turn of the century, documenting the precise tracks of the Purgatoire River and the numerous dry washes like Toh Arroyo that define the broken terrain. The Colorado New Mexico Boundary Line at the southern edge serves as a fixed reference point for this reconnaissance of the high plains.