1955 Map of Sonsala Butte 2 SE

About this map

Canyon De Chelly National Monument and the surrounding Navajo Indian Reservation dominate this mid-century topographic study. The landscape is defined by the deep incisions of Canyon Del Muerto and Middle Canyon, which carve through the high elevations of the Defiance Plateau. In this arid environment, the presence of numerous earthen Dams, a Windmill, and a Reservoir near Sheep Dip Creek indicates the critical infrastructure required for livestock and settlement. Notable landmarks with descriptive local names, such as Red Cornfield Mesa, Many Coyote Mesa, and The Legs, provide geographic orientation across the mesa-and-canyon terrain. Water management is central to the map's details, with Agua Sal Creek snaking through the northern sections. This 1950s aerial photogrammetry captures the remote network of Jeep Trails that provided the primary access to these ancestral lands and grazing areas.