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1972 Map of Indian Hot Springs

Name: 1972 Topographic Map of Indian Hot Springs
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1975
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1975

About this map

Indian Hot Springs anchors this desolate reach of the Chihuahuan Desert, where the Rio Grande carves a winding international boundary between the United States and Mexico. The landscape is dominated by the steep, arid ridges of the Quitman Mountains, dissected by dramatic drainage systems like Goat Canyon and Mayfield Canyon.

Surface water is the defining scarcity here, evidenced by a cluster of named thermal and freshwater sources near the river including Soda Spring, Beauty Spr, and Dynamite Spring. Human presence is sparse, limited to the remote Talley Ranch and a Landing Strip that suggests the necessity of aerial access in this corner of Hudspeth County. A small Cem near the hot springs and the naming of Suicide Flat offer a quiet glimpse into the harsh realities of frontier life along this rugged borderland during the early 1970s.