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1943 Map of Oil City

Name: 1943 Topographic Map of Oil City
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1984
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1984

About this map

Oil City serves as the focal point for this section of southeastern New Mexico, surveyed in the years preceding World War II. The landscape is defined by a sparse but deliberate network of water sources and family operations, including the North Williams Ranch, Millman Ranch, and Benson Ranch. These outposts are connected by various draws, such as Chalk Bluff Draw and Palmilla Draw, which carve through the arid terrain of Burro Flat and the Clayton Basin.

Industrial and conservation interests appear at the southern edge of the sheet, where the U. S. Potash Reserve meets the tracks of the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad. To the southwest, the Carlsbad National Wildlife Refuge borders Alkali Lake and Saladar Flat, illustrating the transition from the high Quahada Ridge to the low-lying wetlands and salt flats. The reliance on subterranean water is evident through numerous named sites like Rattlesnake Well and Millman South Well.