1918 Map of Big Hatchet Peak

About this map

Hatchet Mountains and the surrounding high desert of the Playas Valley are documented here during a period of ranching expansion just before the end of the First World War. This territory, surveyed by C. C. Gardner and R. B. Steele for the U. S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the War Department, shows a landscape defined by water scarcity and livestock. The map traces the critical network of springs and man-made water sources, such as Whitewater Wells, Las Cienegas Spring, and the Mongue Tank, which sustained the numerous family-named cattle operations throughout the hills. The Boundary Line between New Mexico and Chihuahua, Mexico forms the eastern and southern edges of the survey, highlighting the remote international frontier character of the region. Transportation is limited to rugged tracks like the Hueco and Alamo Road, connecting isolated outposts like the Old Hatchet Ranch and Dallas Hatchet Ranch.