Loading map...

1963 Map of Purgatory Canyon

Name: 1963 Topographic Map of Purgatory Canyon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1966
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1966

About this map

Ute Mountain Indian Reservation land dominates this 1963 survey, where high desert plateaus are dissected by a complex network of canyons including Purgatory Canyon and Navajo Canyon. The landscape records a mid-century industrial expansion into the high country, with numerous Gas Wells and Oil Wells scattered across the Barker Dome and the Verde Oil Field. This energy infrastructure is supported by a network of pipelines and service routes like Dome Road and various unnamed Jeep Trails that navigate the broken terrain.

Water management and natural drainage are central to the map's character, featuring Barker Arroyo and its tributaries, alongside several small high-altitude bodies of water such as Jones Lake and Blue Lake. To the southeast, the terrain softens into Foxtail Flats and the restrictive passage of The Narrows, illustrating the transition from the rugged canyonlands to broader wash plains like Fourmile Wash.