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2010 Map of Mud Creek

Name: 2010 Topographic Map of Mud Creek
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2010
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2010

About this map

Montezuma Valley and the surrounding high desert terrain define this corner of Southwest Colorado, where water management is central to the landscape. The intricate network of irrigation channels, including the Highline Ditch, Rocky Ford Ditch, and Ute Mountain Ditch, illustrates the engineering required to sustain agriculture in this arid region. These man-made waterways follow the contours of the Aztec Divide, feeding into natural drainages like McElmo Creek and Mud Creek.

Evidence of early 21st-century infrastructure and local history is scattered throughout the quadrangle. The Cortez-Montezuma County Airport serves as a modern transportation hub, while the Majors Cemetery near McElmo Canyon provides a direct link to the area's genealogical roots. Numerous canyons, such as Goodman Canyon and Morrison Canyon, carve through the plateau, marking a geography shaped by both erosion and the persistence of tribal and county road networks like Indian Rte 253.