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1959 Map of El Paso

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of El Paso
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1975
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1975

About this map

The Rio Grande serves as the international boundary and lifeblood of the high desert valley on this mid-1970s revision of the El Paso quadrangle. The urban core of El Paso dominates the landscape, tightly hemmed between the Franklin Mountains and the border with Mexico. This era shows the city as a major transportation and military hub, featuring the sprawling Fort Bliss Military Reservation and Biggs Air Force Base. Downriver to the southeast, a string of historic agricultural settlements including Ysleta, Socorro, and San Elizario trace the valley floor, connected by an intricate network of roads and irrigation infrastructure.

To the west, the landscape shifts into the arid reaches of Luna and Dona Ana counties. Volcanic features like Kilbourne Hole and the West Potrillo Mountains break the desert plains. The border town of Columbus is notable for the Pancho Villa State Park and the Columbus Stockyards, while an Old railroad grade near Hermanas provides a tangible trace of retired rail lines in the New Mexico borderlands.