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1905 Map of Chisos Mountains

Name: 1905 Topographic Map of Chisos Mountains
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1949
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1949

About this map

Stroud's Ranch and the isolated settlement of Boquillas anchor this turn-of-the-century portrait of the Big Bend region along the Rio Grande. The landscape is defined by its water sources, from the evocatively named Smallpox Well and Dugout Wells to natural rock basins like Ernst Tinaja. These vital points, alongside Lindsey's Mine and the Old Smelter, reveal the tenuous human presence in a terrain dominated by the Rosillos Mountains and Chisos Mountains.

Tracing the Strawhouse Trail through the Ernst Valley provides a window into the era's transport networks, connecting remote outposts like San Vicente and La Noria. The map captures a moment before the formalization of modern park boundaries, where names like Pulliam Bluff and Elephant Tusk Spring reflect a geography still largely shaped by local ranchers, prospectors, and the winding path of the international Boundary Line.