1948 Map of Davies Tank

About this map

Fort Bliss Military Reservation dominates this 1948 survey of the arid high-desert landscape in Doña Ana County. The terrain is defined by the sharp descent of the San Andres Mountains into the Tularosa Basin, where critical water sources like Texas Canyon Spring and Globe Spring supported ranching operations before the expansion of military activities. The presence of Globe Spring Ranch and several man-made improvements like Davies Tank and Globe Well illustrate the effort to sustain livestock in this environment. In the eastern flats, the emergence of early Cold War-era military infrastructure is evident at Condron Air Field, complete with its Control Tower. This map captures a moment when the traditional ranching heritage of Goodin Well and the surrounding canyons was transitioning into a highly controlled military testing and training zone.