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1954 Map of Shiprock

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of Shiprock
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1963
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1963

About this map

The Chuska Mountains and Lukachukai Mountains form a high-altitude spine across this section of the high desert, anchoring a landscape defined by traditional Navajo land use and federal designations. Early 1960s infrastructure is centered on the San Juan River valley, where Farmington, Fruitland, and Kirtland represent the primary population centers. Beyond these settlements, the map reveals a vast network of trading posts and missions that served as vital social and economic hubs for the Navajo Indian Reservation, including the Chinle Valley Trading Post and the Rock Point Mission.

Topographic landmarks such as the volcanic spire of Ship Rock and the deep recesses of Canyon De Chelly National Monument dominate the western portion of the sheet. The eastern plains are marked by early industrial features like Morgan Lake and an intricate system of washes, such as Chaco River and Chinle Wash, which dictated the placement of historic routes and isolated outposts like the Bisti Trading Post.