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1969 Map of Big Canyon Ranch NW

Name: 1969 Topographic Map of Big Canyon Ranch NW
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1992
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1992

About this map

The high desert terrain of Pecos County is defined here by the Big Divide, a prominent ridge separating the complex drainage systems of the Trans-Pecos. This 1969 field-checked survey highlights the isolation of West Texas ranching life, centered on the Thorn Ranch in the north and the Mitchell Ranch further south. The landscape is carved by deep seasonal watercourses, most notably the winding path of Big Canyon and its tributary, the Middle Fork Big Canyon.

Evidence of local industry and infrastructure is sparse but specific, with a Gravel Pit and a Drill Hole indicating the extraction and exploration efforts common to this arid region. The path of Route 285 provides the primary north-south artery through the canyon lands, following the natural contours of the Clark Place Draw. The map is particularly useful for understanding the exact placement of fence lines and remote ranch boundaries in an era before significant modernization reached these stretches of the Permian Basin periphery.