1972 Map of Packers Gap

About this map

The high-plains landscape of southeastern Colorado is captured here along the border of Otero Co Las Animas Co, where the drainages of the West Branch and East Branch Crooked Arroyo carve into the terrain. The map highlights the sparse ranching infrastructure that defined this region in the early 1970s, including the remote Honey Windmill and the settlement of Rourke. Natural landforms like Packers Gap and the Shale Hills dominate the topography, while man-made additions such as a Pipeline and a dedicated Landing Strip near Minnie Canyon indicate the industrial and aviation adaptations to this isolated environment. This survey provides a record of the canyon systems, including Iron Canyon and Bent Canyon, which have historically shaped the movement of people and livestock through the high desert.