1983 Map of Skinney Rock

About this map

Industrial energy extraction and tribal lands meet in this high-desert landscape, where the Navajo Indian Reservation spans the south and the Ute Mountain Colorado Indian Reservation occupies the north. The terrain is defined by a series of prominent mesas and volcanic features, including Flat Top Rock, Blue Hill, and the map's namesake, Skinney Rock. This era of the late 1970s and early 1980s reveals a region heavily marked by petroleum exploration, with dense networks of drill holes and oil wells concentrated in the Horseshoe Gallup Oil Field and the Weekley Canyon Oil Field. Water remains a vital but sparse resource, managed through features like the Hogback Canal and the Aqueduct, while natural drainage flows through the Yellow Arroyo and Salt Creek Wash towards the San Juan Basin.