Loading map...

1961 Map of Romero Canyon

Name: 1961 Topographic Map of Romero Canyon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1986
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1986

About this map

Elephant Butte Lake State Park Reservoir dominates this landscape along the border of Socorro and Sierra counties, where the Rio Grande flows through a series of dramatic canyon systems. The map illustrates a transitional desert environment defined by seasonal arroyos and a critical water management infrastructure, including the Conveyance Channel and the constricted passage of The Narrows Rio Grande. Human presence in this arid region is marked by remote outposts and livestock infrastructure, such as the Old Pankey Ranch and a network of isolated wells including Pete Well, Cuervo Well, and Taylor Well.

To the east, the vast Pedro Armendaris No 33 land grant covers the terrain where Nogal Canyon meets the river. The topography is deeply dissected by drainage systems like Cuervo Canyon, San Jose Arroyo, and China Canyon, showing the complex erosional patterns that feed into the reservoir basin. This survey provides a precise look at the 1961 state of the river valley with 1980 photorevisions capturing changes in the shoreline and access routes like Upper Narrows Road.