1970 Map of Milk Lake

About this map

Kim-me-ni-oli Wash and its associated valley dominate this arid stretch of McKinley County, defining a landscape where water management was central to survival and industry. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the region supported ranching operations like the I K Ranch, while scattered infrastructure such as Windmill No 3 and Windmill No 4 provided essential resources for livestock in the high desert terrain. The drainage patterns of Indian Creek feed into ephemeral catchments like Milk Lake and Flat Lake, which appear as distinct geographic markers in an otherwise vast expanse of sage and soil. This topography is further punctuated by mineral exploration efforts, evidenced by several Drill Hole locations, indicating the geologic surveying of the era.