To illustrate how the Wildcat Creek Watershed has changed in response to human activities and natural processes, we divided the recent history of Wildcat Creek Watershed into five periods and made maps for each interval: Native Landscape (1750-1800), Ranchero Landscape (1800-1850), Agricultural Landscape (1850-1900), Urban Landscape (1900-1950), and Modern Landscape (1950-2000). These intervals correspond fairly well to major events in human history in the watershed—depopulation of the Huchiun by 1805, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1846), the establishment of the Santa Fe railroad terminus (1899), the end of World War II (1944)—and thus tend to mark the transition points between major types of settlement and landuse.

Each time period is illustrated by three types of graphics. The Eventline tracks the dates of specific events that affected the watershed. Impact Maps show the general or specific locations of potentially important impacts to the watershed during that time period. The Watershed Views illustrate the landscape resulting from natural and anthropogenic effects during the period, as a composite map of the approximate distribution of cultural features, hydrological features, and major vegetation types.

Programs and Focus Areas: 
Resilient Landscapes Program
Location Information