1959 Map of Navajo Dam

About this map

Archuleta and the newly emerging Navajo City anchor this late 1950s survey of the confluence of the San Juan River and Gobernador Canyon. The map records a landscape in transition as the Navajo Dam begins to alter the geography of the Four Corners region, with the Intake Tower and Landing Strip marking the engineering efforts that would create the Navajo Reservoir. Blue hatching indicates areas destined to be submerged at the 6101-foot elevation mark, showing how the rising waters would fill deep drainage systems like Pump Canyon and Frances Creek. Local landmarks such as Benito Sch and Baltzar Peak stand alongside numerous family-named canyons, including Reese, Garcia, and Negro Andy, while a network of trails and jeep trails provides the only access through the broken terrain of Burnt Mesa.