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1923 Map of Hess Canyon

Name: 1923 Topographic Map of Hess Canyon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1984
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1984

About this map

The Glass Mountains dominate this West Texas landscape, where the high desert terrain of northern Brewster County is carved by Hess Canyon and Burnt House Canyon. Surveyed in the early 1920s, the map reveals a remote ranching economy defined by isolated homesteads and family-held lands. The presence of the Pecos Co Brewster Co line suggests the intersection of these two vast counties, while the Boundary Line to the east marks a significant regional division.

Settlement patterns are sparse, represented by named landmarks like the Willis Ranch and Old Word Ranch, as well as older sites including the Old Oscar Nance Place. Lower elevations south of the mountains feature the Wolf Camp Hills and the prominent Leonard Mtn, with tracks leading To Marathon and To Sanderson. This document preserves the specific names of ranching families, such as the Kincaid-Taylor Ranch and Youngblood Place, during an era when survival depended on these remote outposts.