1893 Map of Sanborn

About this map

The High Plains of Eastern Colorado appear here as a land defined by early cattle ranching and sparse water sources, based on surveys conducted in 1889. The map centers on the small settlement of Sanborn and the expansive Maryland Cattle Co. Ranch, illustrating the dominance of the livestock industry in this arid corridor. The landscape is carved by seasonal drainages including Horse Creek and its tributary Little Horse Creek, which likely dictated the placement of isolated holdings like Fody Ranch and Orcutt Ranch. To the south, Steel Fork and the Russell Ranch mark the gradual transition toward the borders of Otero County. This document preserves the late-nineteenth-century geography of the region before more intensive settlement, focusing on the essential relationship between family-named landmarks and the critical water flow of Rush Creek in the northern reaches of Lincoln County.