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1896 Map of Eden

Name: 1896 Topographic Map of Eden
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1896
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1896

About this map

Eden stands as the primary outpost in this sparsely settled region of West Texas, established near the Harden Branch and Brady Creek as a frontier ranching hub. The landscape is dominated by the sprawling Brady Mountains, an escarpment that stretches across the heart of the territory, providing a natural barrier between the watershed of the Colorado River to the north and the rolling plateaus of Concho and McCulloch counties to the south.

Strategic passes like Salt Gap indicate the historical travel routes used before the modernization of the road network. The drainage patterns are intricate, with seasonal watercourses like South Brady Creek, Mustang Creek, and Reubels Creek carving deep into the limestone terrain. This late nineteenth-century survey, conducted by R.O.Gordon, captures the vast, open character of the Edwards Plateau region just before the expansion of wire fencing and more intensive settlement altered the open range.