1968 Map of Ruby Lee Reservoir

About this map

The high desert landscape of Mesa and Garfield counties in the late 1960s is defined by its deep drainages and early energy extraction. The map's northern reaches are carved by Coal Gulch and Salt Wash, while small-scale coal operations like Farmers Mine, Hicks Mine, and Anchor Mine dot the high ground above the canyon floors. These resource-heavy lands show the infrastructure of the era, with a long pipeline and various gas wells marking the terrain. In the northwest, the small Ruby Lee Res provides a rare point of surface water in an otherwise arid drainage system. To the south, the presence of the Government Highline Canal signals the transition toward the irrigated agriculture of the Grand Valley, where water management transformed the desert into productive land. This survey provides a look at the intersection of geology and early industrial development before modern expansion altered the footprint of these local mining sites.