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1925 Map of Buck Hill

Name: 1925 Topographic Map of Buck Hill
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1944
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1944

About this map

Mitchell Mesa and Elephant Mtn dominate this West Texas landscape, where life revolves around scarce water sources and expansive cattle operations. The topography is defined by significant landmarks like Buck Hill and Butcherknife Hill, interspersed with drainages such as Calamity Creek and Walnut Draw. These watercourses provided the essential lifelines for early 20th-century ranching, as evidenced by the distribution of family holdings including the Kokernot Ranch and Wilsons Ranch.

A network of improved and unimproved roads connects these remote outposts, including the primitive trails To Alpine and To Terlingua. Notable for genealogists is the specific identification of individual homesteads and stations like the Plank House and Sid Place, alongside the already noted Loy Place (Abandoned). This survey illustrates the transition from isolated wilderness to a structured ranching economy, where man-made infrastructure like Brush Windmill and the irrigation features of The Ditch were critical to survival.