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1896 Map of El Paso

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

USGS Topo · Published 1896

About this map

The Rio Grande defines the international border in this late nineteenth-century survey, anchoring a landscape where the United States Mexico Boundary Line follows the river's meandering course. On the American side, the city of El Paso serves as a critical junction for the Southern Pacific Railroad, the White Oaks R.R., and the Mexican Central R.R. which crosses into Juarez. To the north, the Franklin Mountains and a substantial Military Reservation at Fort Bliss overlook the growing settlement.

Downriver to the southeast, a string of older communities including Ysleta, Socorro, and San Elizario are connected by the rail corridor and early irrigation infrastructure like the Canal. The arid eastern plains are dotted with isolated outposts like Tysons Ranch and Armendariz Ranch, while the distinctive natural catchment at Hueco Tanks stands out in the eastern Hueco Mountains. This map captures the region when cross-border rail commerce and river valley agriculture formed the backbone of the West Texas economy.