Loading map...

1983 Map of Bourland Canyon

Name: 1983 Topographic Map of Bourland Canyon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1984
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1984

About this map

The Rio Grande Rio Bravo carves a serpentine international boundary through the Chihuahuan Desert, serving as the central axis of this 1980s border survey. Within the Black Gap Wildlife Management Area, the landscape is defined by deep drainage systems including Maravillas Canyon, Bourland Canyon, and Dog Canyon. These natural corridors dictate movement through the arid terrain, often navigated by a Jeep Trail that skirts the high ridges.

South of the river in Coahuila, Mexico, the map identifies specific peaks and locations such as El Caracol, Ceferino, and C. El Barco. An intriguing human element is the notation of a Zona Industrial (Abandonado) just south of the river bend, suggesting former commercial activity in an otherwise isolated stretch of the borderlands. The intricate contour work illustrates the transition from the high mesas down to the river banks, capturing the remote character of Brewster County before modern developments.