2023 Map of Whitewater Creek

About this map

The San Luis Mountains and the Whitewater Mountains anchor this arid landscape along the international border between the United States of America and Mexico. The terrain is defined by a critical network of water management features, including numerous livestock tanks named for early ranchers and local figures, such as Dick Bass Tank, Chavez Tank, and Edwards Tank. These features represent the essential infrastructure of rangeland history in the Animas Valley region of New Mexico. The drainage patterns of Been Draw and Whitewater Creek illustrate the natural flow of water through this high-desert environment, while named points like Prospector Tank hint at the area's legacy of resource exploration. This map captures the remote character of the borderlands where topography and water rights dictate the human footprint.