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2020 Map of Reserve

Name: 2020 Topographic Map of Reserve
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2020
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2020

About this map

Reserve serves as the focal point for this high-desert region of Catron County, anchored by the Catron County Courthouse and the nearby Reserve Cem. The settlement pattern here is deeply tied to the corridors of the San Francisco River and the Tularosa River, where a series of small communities including San Francisco Plaza, Middle Frisco, and Lower San Francisco Plaza are spaced along the river valley. This arrangement reflects the traditional agricultural and livestock history of the area, utilizing the flat bottomlands for small holdings between the rising peaks of the Saliz Mountains and the Apache National Forest.

Beyond the river valleys, the landscape is defined by extensive ranching infrastructure and remote transportation routes. Numerous stock tanks, such as S U Ranch Tank and Big Pasture Tank, support land management across the Gila National Forest. Traditional routes like the Mail Trail cross through the high country, connecting isolated canyons like Dry Starkweather Canyon and Leggett Canyon to the county seat and the Reserve Airport.