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1959 Map of Steeple Rock

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Steeple Rock
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1960
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

The Summit Mountains and the jagged monolith of Steeple Rock dominate this arid landscape along the border of Grant and Hidalgo counties during the late 1950s. The map reveals a region defined by an extensive mining history, centered around the Carlisle Mine and clusters of claims such as the Billali Mine and Norman King Mine. These industrial sites are interspersed with remote livestock operations, including the Thygerson Ranch, Cottonwood Ranch, and the Bates Ranch.

Resource extraction and water management are evident through numerous scattered windmills and tunnels, such as the Mc Donald Tunnel and the Wood Yard Windmill. The northern reach of the map transitions into the Gila National Forest, where the terrain rises toward Brushy Mountain and Bear Valley. This survey provides a record of the specialized infrastructure, from the Utah Bill Well to isolated cattle tanks, required to sustain ranching and mineral exploration in the New Mexico high desert.