1967 Map of Sheds Camp

About this map

San Luis Maria Baca No 4, an expansive land grant in the high valley, defines the eastern portion of this 1960s landscape. The area is characterized by an extensive network of irrigation infrastructure designed to manage the waters flowing from the Sangre de Cristo range, including the Shellabarger Ditch No 2, Wales Travis Ditch, and the North Crestone Ditch. These diversions support a series of seasonal or ranching outposts such as Sheds Camp, Willow Camp, and Cottonwood Camp. Evidence of human activity is scattered across the flats, from the small settlement at Cartwright and the Landing Strip to numerous flowing wells that dot the drainages of San Luis Creek and Crestone Creek. The map documents a fragile balance of water rights and ranching in a region where creeks like Spanish Creek and Deadman Creek emerge from the mountains to feed the valley floor near Weisman Lake.