1979 Map of Truth or Consequences

About this map

Truth or Consequences serves as the focal point of this late 1970s Sierra County landscape, situated along the Rio Grande between the Elephant Butte Reservoir and Caballo Reservoir. The map reveals a transition from the engineered water management of the river valley to the mineral-rich heights of the Black Range. To the west, the mining history of the region is evident near the Continental Divide with operations such as the Midnight Mine and Yellowjacket Mine located near the settlements of Winston and Chloride. The eastern portion of the map is dominated by the Jornada Del Muerto and the Fra Cristobal Range, where the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad cuts a straight path through the desert. This survey documents the area just before the turn of the decade, capturing the spatial relationship between historic mining outposts like Hermosa and the growing recreational infrastructure of Elephant Butte Lake State Park.