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1981 Map of The Gap

Name: 1981 Topographic Map of The Gap
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1982
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1982

About this map

Echo Cliffs dominate this portion of the Navajo Indian Reservation, forming a massive diagonal escarpment that defines the region's geography. The map reveals a land where water is the primary concern for survival and settlement, evidenced by the series of family-named water sources such as Tsin Beskunt Well, Curtis Well, Bodaway Well, and Begay Well. These points of interest are scattered across the arid landscape east and west of the cliffs, often connected only by 4wd tracks.

The Gap serves as the central hub for this high-desert territory, situated near where Hamblin Wash parallels the cliff line. The map provides a detailed view of the infrastructure supporting this remote community in the early 1980s, including a Sewage Disposal Pond, a Water Tank, and the lone prominent summit of Black Peak to the southeast. The terrain transitions from the deep shadows of the cliffs to the broad, elevated expanse of Crooked Ridge, highlighting the isolation of these traditional grazing lands.