1897 Map of Chispa

About this map

The Van Horn Mountains dominate this Trans-Pecos landscape during the late nineteenth century, providing a stark topographical backdrop for the era's critical transportation corridors. The Southern Pacific R. R. and the Galveston Harrisburg and San Antonio Div. cut through the high desert, linking isolated stations like Chispa and Dalberg to the wider world. This survey was conducted as the region's ranching and rail economy solidified, showing the strategic placement of Van Horn Wells and the passage through Vieja Pass in the Tierra Vieja Mountains.