1948 Map of Heuco Tanks

About this map

Escontrias Ranch sits at the base of the Hueco Mountains in this post-war survey of the El Paso desert. This specific landscape is defined by the unique geological depressions known as Hueco Tanks, which for centuries served as vital water-storage basins for travelers in an otherwise arid basin. The map traces the historical path of the Old Butterfield Trail, marking the transition from early frontier transit to the modern surveying efforts of the Army Map Service. The network of unimproved roads and trails intersecting at the ranch suggests the area's continued role as a focal point for ranching and overland movement before the expansion of the modern highway system. Compiled from 1944 aerial photography, the sheet preserves the sparse, high-desert settlement pattern and the intricate topography of the surrounding mountain peaks.