1952 Map of Turn

About this map

The Rio Grande and its intricate network of irrigation channels, including the Upper Sabinal Riverside Ditch and San Juan Canal, define this stretch of the river valley in the early 1950s. The settlement of Turn and the nearby Casa Colorada School anchor the community, situated between the river and the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad. The map reflects a landscape organized by Spanish land grants, specifically the Tome Grant, Casa Colorada Grant, and Belen Grant, whose boundaries intersect here near the Valencia Co Socorro Co line. While agriculture dominates the floodplain, the eastern uplands are marked by numerous windmills and an Airway Beacon No 20, signaling the intersection of traditional land use and mid-century navigation technology.