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1918 Map of Hood Spring

Name: 1918 Topographic Map of Hood Spring
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1946
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1946

About this map

The Gage Indian Creek Ranch serves as the primary human landmark in this remote corner of Brewster County, surveyed in the early twentieth century by the Geological Survey and the Army Corps of Engineers. The landscape is defined by the high, ridged terrain of the Mountain masses, where water sources like Hood Spring, Kincaid Spring, and Tinaja Spring dictated the placement of early infrastructure.

Transport through this arid region relied on the Marathon and Boquillas Road, which cuts across the southern flats alongside the winding path of Maravillas Creek. The connection to neighboring trade centers is marked by the Sanderson Road, showing how early ranchers and travelers navigated between the breaks of San Francisco Creek and the deep incisions of Bacon Draw. The map documents a period when surface water and established wagon roads were the essential lifelines for West Texas ranching operations.