1966 Map of Velasquez Butte

About this map

The boundary between the Fort Apache Indian Reservation and the San Carlos Indian Reservation follows the winding course of the Black River through the southern portion of this mid-1960s study. The landscape is defined by the massive Seven Mile Rim to the north and the Natanes Plateau rising in the southwest. Between these high points, the terrain is a complex network of canyons and flats, where water management is critical to the local economy. A series of livestock tanks and springs, such as Velasquez Butte Tank No 2, Pit Hole Tank, and Navajo Bill Spring, are connected by a web of jeep trails and fence lines. This infrastructure suggests a landscape primarily dedicated to cattle grazing on tribal lands, with remote outposts like Lower Camp Tank serving as markers of human activity in the high desert of Gila and Navajo counties.