Loading map...

1908 Map of El Paso

Name: 1908 Topographic Map of El Paso
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1921
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1921

About this map

The Rio Grande serves as the focal point of this borderland survey, tracing the winding United States Mexico Boundary Line during a period of significant military and agricultural expansion. Near the growing hub of El Paso, the established Military Reservation at Fort Bliss commands the landscape at the foot of the Franklin Mountains. Southeast along the river valley, a chain of historic settlements including Ysleta, Socorro, and San Elizario follows the fertile corridor supported by the Texas Southern Pacific RR.

Remote family outposts like Newman's Ranch and Helm Ranch dot the arid plains, while the eastern horizon is dominated by the Hueco Mountains and the important desert water source at Hueco Tanks. This map captures the region's character as a crossroads of international commerce and western ranching, evidenced by the intersection of the El Paso and Southwestern RR and the proximity of Juarez across the international line.