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1963 Map of Upper Nutria

Name: 1963 Topographic Map of Upper Nutria
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1980
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1980

About this map

The Zuni Indian Reservation and Cibola National Forest meet along a dramatic geological boundary dominated by The Hogback. This 1963 survey, updated with 1970s revisions, highlights the water management and settlement patterns of the high desert. The small communities of Upper Nutria and Lower Nutria are linked by the Nutria Road, following the course of the Rio Nutria as it flows past the Nutria Diversion Reservoir.

Evidence of early 20th-century recreational and administrative development is concentrated in the northeast at the McGaffey Recreation Area, featuring a Lookout Tower and McGaffey. Local genealogists will find value in the specific locations of the McGaffey Cem and Torreon Cem, alongside family landmarks such as the Garcia Ranch. The landscape is further defined by numerous springs and arroyos, including Stinking Spring and Whitewater Arroyo, which provided critical water sources for the isolated ranches and settlements of this McKinley County region.