1918 Map of Big Hatchet Peak

About this map

The Big Hatchet Mountains dominate this borderland landscape, rising sharply from the surrounding desert basins at the end of the First World War. This territory, surveyed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the War Department, centers on the high elevation of Big Hatchet Peak. The settlement pattern is defined by remote cattle operations and vital water sources, as seen at the Old Hatchet Ranch, Lambert Ranch, and Dallas Hatchet Ranch. Water remains the primary concern for survival here, evidenced by the numerous named wells and springs such as Sheridan Wells, Whitewater Wells, and Las Cienegas Spring. Connectivity in this arid region is limited to primitive routes like the Hachita Road and Hueco and Alamo Road, which provided the only reliable passage through the Hachita Valley toward the United States-Mexico border.