1970 Map of Stead

About this map

Tramperos Creek carves a winding path through this corner of Union County, New Mexico, where the high plains meet the Texas border. In the early 1970s, this landscape was defined by its drainage basins and isolated outposts, most notably the settlement of Stead. The terrain is marked by the confluence of Pinabetes Creek and Tramperos Creek, creating a network of draws and bluffs that break the level horizon. Along the State Line, the map captures the rural infrastructure of the era, including the small locality of Sparlin. The distribution of benchmarks and windmills across the rangeland illustrates a pastoral economy dependent on groundwater and seasonal watercourses in a region of significant elevation change.