1979 Map of San Mateo Mountains

About this map

The San Mateo Mountains dominate this central New Mexico landscape, serving as a massive high-altitude divide between the Plains of San Agustin to the west and the Rio Grande valley to the east. At the southeastern edge of the range, the historic site of Fort Craig (Ruins) overlooks the river valley near the Elephant Butte Reservoir, marking a key nineteenth-century military outpost. The map details a rugged network of canyons such as Whitewater Canyon and Pigeon Canyon that drain the central highlands, where elevations reach peaks like Apache Kid Peak and Vicks Peak. To the west, the Continental Divide winds through the Black Range and Luera Mountains. Human settlement is sparse, characterized by isolated outposts and ranching locations like Dusty, Monticello, and Frenchmans Well, alongside evidence of earlier industry at Rosedale and Lost Mines Hill.