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1966 Map of Ship Rock

Name: 1966 Topographic Map of Ship Rock
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1980
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1980

About this map

Ship Rock rises as a dramatic monadnock over the high desert floor of the Navajo Indian Reservation, serving as the dominant geographic landmark in this corner of San Juan County. This mid-century study reveals the industrial footprint of the era, marked by a network of energy infrastructure including the Pipeline and scattered wells. The landscape is defined by the massive volcanic Dike extending southward from the main peak, a geological spine that anchors the local topography.

Economic activity is concentrated in the northern sections of the map, where the Rattlesnake Oil Field and Shiprock Gallup Oil Field are situated near the drainage of Rattlesnake Wash. Transportation follows the Red Rock Highway, which cuts across the arid plains, connecting the remote extraction sites to the wider region. The interplay between these industrial sites and the natural erosional features of Shiprock Wash characterizes the area's development during the late 1960s and 1970s.