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1913 Map of Red Mesa

Name: 1913 Topographic Map of Red Mesa
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1913
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1913

About this map

La Plata River flows southward through this high-altitude landscape, defining a region where early irrigation efforts supported isolated settlements near the Colorado New Mexico Boundary Line. The map illustrates a transitional period of development, anchored by the Red Mesa landform and the vital waters of the Red Mesa Reservoir. Local social structures are evident in the placement of the Mormon Church and rural schoolhouses such as Rockville School and Bruner School, which served the farming families of Redmesa and Kline.

Industrial activity and transit are marked by the presence of the Rio Grande Southern RR and the Fort Lewis Sta in the northeast corner. This corner of the map also reveals the Fort Lewis School, situated at the edge of the South Boundary Ceded Land. To the south, the terrain shifts towards volcanic features like North Cinder Butte and South Cinder Butte, flanked by mineral-rich waters at Soda Springs and Sulphur Springs.