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1895 Map of Chispa

Name: 1895 Topographic Map of Chispa
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1895
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1895

About this map

The high desert corridor of Far West Texas is defined here by the transit routes between the Van Horn Mountains and the Wiley Mountains. Surveyed in the early 1890s, the landscape is dominated by the strategic intersection of early rail lines and essential water stops like Van Horns Wells. The Southern Pacific R. R. and the Galveston Harrisburg And San Antonio Div. cut across the arid terrain, creating small sidings and settlements such as Chispa, Arno, and Wendell.

Southward, the terrain rises into the Vieja Mountains, where the Vieja Pass provides a natural gateway. This era marks the height of the steam-railroad economy in the Trans-Pecos, evidenced by the presence of the Rio Grande Northern R. R. heading toward the border. The map also delineates the shifting county lines of the period, including the meeting points of El Paso Co Jeff Davis Co and Jeff Davis Co Presidio Co.