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1972 Map of Sheep Canyon

Name: 1972 Topographic Map of Sheep Canyon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1985
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1985

About this map

The Santa Fe Trail (Approx) cuts across the northwestern corner of this high plains landscape, following the same corridor as the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad near Jack Point. This semi-arid region is defined by its water management, where a network of windmills and small reservoirs supports ranching operations across the Iron Springs Hills.

Named water features such as Hoe Ranch Arroyo and the East Fork provide the primary drainage, while human-engineered points like Rourke Reservoir, Government Pond, and Kennedy Ponds dot the terrain. The map records a series of named ranching landmarks including the Cedar Pond Windmill, Hoffman Windmill, and Mullins Windmill, illustrating the reliance on groundwater in the Otero and Las Animas county borderlands during the early 1970s.