1998 Map of Mills West

About this map

The Kiowa National Grassland dominates this high plains landscape on the border of Mora and Harding Counties. The topography is defined by the dramatic descent into the Canadian River canyon system, where the river carves through the southwestern corner of the quadrangle. In the northern reaches, the broad Mesteñito Valley provides a contrast to the deep incisions of Cañon Vergere and Cañon Mesteño. Settlement remains sparse in this late-twentieth-century revision, centered on the small community of Mills and the isolated Cates Ranch. For genealogists and local historians, the Mesteñito Cem stands as a significant landmark of the area's earlier habitation. The map also records the infrastructure of the agricultural economy, including several Storage Bins and a network of pipelines and unimproved roads traversing the grassland.