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1949 Map of Sardine Mountain

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Sardine Mountain
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1949
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1949

About this map

Sardine Mountain and the surrounding high desert of Chaves County are defined by a network of water improvements essential for ranching in the late 1940s. The landscape is punctuated by numerous named basins and tanks, such as the Armstrong Basin and Morning Glory Tank, which supported livestock across the L-E Ranch and Wade Ranch holdings. One of the most striking features is the Devils Race Track, a linear formation associated with a Diabase Dike that cuts across the northern terrain.

A post-war military footprint is evident at the Air Force Bombing Range (Aban'd) near Alkali Lake in the southern portion of the quadrangle. For those tracing historical land use or regional hydrology, the map meticulously records both active and inactive sites, including the Morrissey Well (Aban'd) and the waters of Silman Lake. These features, alongside the drainage patterns of Long Arroyo, provide a detailed record of the Chaves County desert before modern development.