1897 Map of Chispa

About this map

Van Horn Wells and the mountain passes of the Trans-Pecos dominate this late nineteenth-century survey, conducted just as rail networks began to redefine West Texas transit. The corridor between the Van Horn Mountains and the Wylie Mountains serves as a critical artery, carrying the Southern Pacific R. R. through a series of isolated stops including Dalberg, Arno, and Fay. To the south, the terrain descends sharply toward the Rio Grande, where the international border with Mexico meets the rugged breaks of the Sierra Vieja Mountains.