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1966 Map of Mitten Rock

Name: 1966 Topographic Map of Mitten Rock
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1969
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1969

About this map

Mitten Rock stands as a prominent landmark within the Navajo Indian Reservation, anchoring a landscape defined by an intricate network of desert drainages and high terrain. This mid-1960s survey captures the geography of the high plateau country in San Juan County, dominated to the south by the rising slopes of Beautiful Mountain. Water management and resource extraction are evident across the arid floor, from the Big Gap Reservoir to several scattered Drill Hole and Flowing Well sites.

Transport through the region follows the Red Rock Highway, which cuts across the drainage basins of Salt Wash and Shiprock Wash. The presence of a significant Pipeline and various industrial markers like a Borrow Pit suggest the mid-century development of natural resources on tribal lands. This document provides a record of the ephemeral water systems of the high desert, including Dead Mans Wash and Little Shiprock Wash, before more modern infrastructure altered the surface of these traditional Navajo lands.