1951 Map of Ninemile Well

About this map

Long Arroyo carves a path through this section of the New Mexico landscape, illustrating the critical importance of water management in a ranching-driven economy. Based on topography from 1951, the map highlights the distribution of named homesteads and essential infrastructure that sustained cattle operations in Chaves County. Established family holdings like Greer Ranch and King Ranch are positioned near drainage features, while the prevalence of isolated water sources such as Ninemile Well and Rattlesnake Windmill speaks to the necessity of dispersed wells across the semi-arid terrain. In the southern portion, Buffalo Valley and Buffalo Valley Derrick Draw mark the transition toward lower ground. For historians and genealogists, these specific ranch names like Derrick Ranch, Haynes Ranch, and Calhoun Ranch provide a primary record of land tenure and residency in the mid-century period before significant modernization altered the rural character of the region.