1955 Map of Spring Lake

About this map

The Pecos River carves a winding path through this mid-century landscape of southeast New Mexico, creating a verdant ribbon of wetlands and side channels like the Kaiser Channel and the Pecos River (Old Channel). While the river dominates the valley floor, the surrounding uplands reflect the region's mid-century industrial footprint. Extensive petroleum development is evident in the Empire Oil Field, Daugherty Oil Field, and Logan Draw Oil Field, where a network of tanks, pumps, and access roads spreads across the draws. To the west of the river, the terrain softens into the open flats of Spring Lake and the drainage of Tumbleweed Draw, providing a clear record of the area's hydrology and resource extraction history before later 20th-century developments altered the local character.