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1985 Map of Wickiup Canyon

Name: 1985 Topographic Map of Wickiup Canyon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1985
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1985

About this map

Navajo Indian Reservation territory meets the Colorado and Utah state line in this mid-1980s topographical study. The high desert landscape is defined by massive tablelands such as Cajon Mesa and Cannon Ball Mesa, which are deeply incised by drainage systems like Wickiup Canyon and Little Ruin Canyon. This era shows a landscape undergoing intensive resource extraction, characterized by a dense network of exploration infrastructure throughout the Ismay Oil Field.

Evidence of human activity is clustered around water and trade, notably at the Ismay Trading Post near the crossing of Mc Elmo Creek. Small-scale historical details are preserved in the form of a lone Cem and the Mesa Trail, which follows the high ridges. The map serves as a record of the complex boundary intersections between state lines, county divisions, and reservation lands during a period of active oil development.