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1970 Map of South Mustang Draw SE

Name: 1970 Topographic Map of South Mustang Draw SE
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1973
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1973

About this map

The boundary between Reagan Co and Irion Co cuts through a landscape defined by cattle ranching and early-stage oil exploration at the start of the 1970s. This territory is marked by a network of drainage channels including South Mustang Draw, Lewis Draw, and Antelope Draw, which dictate the placement of ranch infrastructure. Numerous family-named and descriptive water sources like Lewis Windmill, Whatley Windmill, and Cat Claw Windmill appear across the terrain, indicating the vital importance of groundwater for the livestock industry in this arid region.

Settlement is sparse, characterized by outposts such as West Line Camp and the West Line Trap Windmill. The map captures the industrial layering of the land, where traditional ranching landmarks like Bar S and Greasewood Windmill coexist with a growing number of Oil Well sites and a prominent Pipeline cutting across the southern sections. This transition from open range to energy production is a central theme of the era's geography.