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1970 Map of Tall Mountain

Name: 1970 Topographic Map of Tall Mountain
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1973
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1973

About this map

Navajo National Monument (Keet Seel Ruin) anchors the southeastern corner of this map, highlighting the preservation of ancestral sites within the Navajo Indian Reservation. The landscape is defined by the high, flat expanses of the Shonto Plateau and Skeleton Mesa, which are deeply incised by complex drainage systems like Nokai Canyon and Long Canyon. These canyons provided sheltered locations for ancient habitations, evidenced by labels for the Calamity Cave Cliff Dwelling and several other unnamed Cliff Dwelling sites tucked into the sandstone walls.

Water sources were critical for both historic and prehistoric life here, represented by scattered points such as Hawks Nest Spring, Bubbling Spr, and Deer Spring. The western edge transitions into the broad Sage Valley, where a Sage Well and Water Tank suggest the limited infrastructure developed for grazing. This 1970 survey records a remote environment where movement was facilitated by routes like the Pack Tr, connecting the elevated plateau and prominent Tall Mountain to the canyon floors below.