1981 Map of Oscura

About this map

Southern Pacific tracks cut through the high desert of the Tularosa Basin here, anchoring the small settlement of Oscura. The landscape is defined by the logistics of ranching and military operations, as the western portion of the sheet falls within the White Sands Missile Range. Water sources are the critical lifeblood of this arid environment, marked by numerous cattle-related features like the Taylor Windmill, Jackson Well, and Milagro Springs. Rising above the basin floor are the Phillips Hills and Bull Gap Ridge, while the Godfrey Hills dominate the eastern topography. The map also records early-stage mining interests with several Prospect and Mine notations near Milagro Hill, reflecting the intersection of the railroad economy and desert resource extraction in the early 1980s.