1966 Map of The Pillar NW

About this map

The Navajo Indian Reservation defines this high-desert expanse in the mid-1960s, a landscape shaped by seasonal drainage and mineral exploration. The terrain is characterized by the meandering path of Pinabete Arroyo, which cuts through the arid San Juan County soil. Though largely open and unpopulated, the survey reveals early industrial activity within the reservation boundaries. Evidence of resource extraction is marked by scattered locations of a Drill Hole and several a Well, indicating subsurface exploration during this period. These small technical markers are often the only indications of human footprint in an otherwise vast, topographically complex stretch of New Mexico desert.