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1918 Map of Bone Spring

Name: 1918 Topographic Map of Bone Spring
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1919
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1919

About this map

The Old Wax Plant stands as a notable industrial marker in this remote Brewster County landscape, situated near the headwaters of Maravillas Creek. Surveyed just before the end of the Great War, the region is defined by the massive uplift of the Santiago Mountains and the Sierra Del Caballo Muerto, which create natural corridors like Persimmon Gap and Dog Canyon. These gaps served as critical passage points for early travelers and cattle drivers navigating the desert terrain.

Local ranching life is well-documented through numerous family-named homesteads and livestock improvements, including Hendersons Ranch, Buttrell Ranch, and the Adobe House. Water management was the lifeline of these operations, evident in the network of tanks and wells such as Low Heaven Tank and Shackleford Well. The presence of the Marathon Road and Boquillas Road highlights the established transit routes connecting the interior of the Big Bend country to larger Texas hubs.