Loading map...

2016 Map of Riley Canyon

Name: 2016 Topographic Map of Riley Canyon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2016
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2016

About this map

The Purgatoire River carves a deep, winding path through this high plains landscape on the border of Otero and Las Animas counties. Large portions of the terrain are preserved within the Comanche National Grassland, where a dense network of drainages such as Riley Canyon, Penitenta Canyon, and Gaussion Canyon cut through the arid plateaus. The presence of the Ninemile Canal in the Ninemile Valley suggests an early reliance on irrigation for ranching or agriculture in an otherwise dry environment.

Genealogists and local historians will find significant interest in the small burial grounds situated along the river valley, including the Martinez Cem and San Jose Cem. These markers of early settlement are supplemented by named water sources essential for survival, like Good Pasture Spring and Rock Waterhole. The map illustrates the isolated nature of the region, where travel is limited to routes like Co RD 804 and various unnamed tracks through the canyon lands.