1965 Map of Oak Peak

About this map

The high desert landscape along the border of Catron and Socorro counties is defined by remote ranching outposts and rugged terrain within the Cibola National Forest. This mid-1960s survey reveals a water-dependent infrastructure of livestock tanks and wells, such as Frenchmans Well and Indian Tank, scattered across the plains below Oak Peak. In the southern reaches, the settlement of Sullivans sits near the dramatic canyon country of Alamosa Creek and the peculiar natural depression of Sullivans Hole. Notable elevations like Lost Mines Hill and Bald Hill punctuate the horizon, suggesting a history of prospecting and land use far from major population centers. The map provides an essential look at the isolated Ake Ranch and the network of unimproved roads that connected these high-altitude southwestern reaches before modern development.