1966 Map of Moncisco Wash

About this map

Bisti Field dominates the high desert terrain of San Juan County in the mid-1960s, defined by a sparse but active network of energy exploration and cattle-ranching infrastructure. The landscape is marked by numerous Oil Well and Oil Wells sites, alongside various Drill Hole locations that signify the industrial development of the era. To the west, the prominent elevation of Moncisco Mesa rises above the drainage of Moncisco Wash, while the southern portion of the quadrangle is anchored by the distinct rise of Black Hill. This 1965 survey, field-checked in 1966, shows a region where the primary human footprint consists of unimproved dirt roads and pipelines connecting remote outposts. Small water features like Jeters Lake and the West Fork Gallegos Canyon provide the only breaks in the arid topography, serving as critical landmarks in a vast, open territory.