Loading map...

2013 Map of Painted Canyon

Name: 2013 Topographic Map of Painted Canyon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2013
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2013

About this map

The Purgatoire River carves a deep, winding path through this corner of Las Animas County, creating a complex network of side canyons and drainages. The river's course is flanked by named topographical features such as Painted Canyon, Hunt Canyon, and the sheer rise of The Hogback. This arid landscape is defined by its intermittent water sources, including Van Bremer Arroyo and the isolated Jack Canyon Spring.

Evidence of ranching and land management in the early 21st century appears in the grid of county roads, such as Co RD-127.5 and Co RD-48, which navigate the plateaus between deep incisions like Gutierrez Canyon and Kiowa Canyon. The map provides a detailed look at the township and range divisions, showing how early 19th-century land surveys imposed a geometric order over the naturally serpentine breaks of the river valley.