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1955 Map of Roswell

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Roswell
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1974
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1974

About this map

Roswell serves as the eastern anchor of this landscape, situated at the confluence of the Rio Hondo and the Pecos River. The terrain shifts dramatically westward from the river lowlands of the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge toward the massive heights of the Capitan Mountains and the White Mountain Wilderness Area. In the high country, the town of Lincoln marks a region of significant local history, while Ruidoso sits at the edge of the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation.

Transport and water management are central to this mid-century view, featuring the Roswell Industrial Air Center and the Hondo Reservoir (abandoned). To the west, the Lava flows and Little Black Peak define a stark geological boundary. Along the railroad corridors of the Southern Pacific and Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe, smaller stops like Melena Station and Acme Station illustrate the importance of the rail network to the Chaves County cattle and farming economy.