1986 Map of Mountainair NE

About this map

Torreon Draw and Arroyo de Manzano dominate this arid central New Mexico landscape, illustrating the ephemeral drainage patterns characteristic of the Estancia Basin. The map captures a moment in the mid-1980s when transportation and utility infrastructure carved straight lines across the basin floor, including a prominent Old R.R. Grade and a north-south Pipeline. For local historians, the location of a small Cem. and multiple Gravel Pits provide clues to early land use and settlement proximity. To the northeast, the expanse of a large Salt Flat marks the hydrologic low point of the region, where numerous scattered wells suggest the ongoing search for water in this high-desert environment.