1979 Map of Otero Mesa South

About this map

Otero Mesa dominates this landscape on the edge of the Fort Bliss Military Reservation (Mc Gregor Range) during the late 1970s. The map illustrates a high-desert environment where water management is the primary infrastructure, evidenced by a network of catchments such as the West Mesa Rim Tanks, Big Tank, and End of Line Tank. These vital water sources are scattered across a terrain defined by significant drainage systems, including Martin Canyon and Hay Meadow Canyon. The surveyor's notes from 1974-1975 document a region transitioning into intensive military use, yet still marked by the traditional geographic identifiers of the New Mexico rim country, such as the distant Mack Draw in the southern reaches of the quadrangle.