1918 Map of Indian Wells

About this map

The Rio Grande carves a winding international border through the Chihuahuan Desert at the southern edge of the Texas and Coahuila boundary. This 1917 survey, produced in cooperation with the War Department, reveals a landscape of deep canyons and isolated outposts during an era when ranching was the primary footprint on the land. Named settlements like Garcia Ranch, Elders Ranch, and Stewart Ranch are situated near the intricate drainage networks of San Francisco Creek and Maravillas Canyon. The map illustrates the topographic complexity of the Big Bend region before modern development, showing the vital connection between these early homesteads and the erratic water sources provided by Indian Wells and the numerous dry creeks that feed into the river corridor. The presence of a clear county line between Terrell and Brewster counties highlights the administrative divisions of this sparsely populated borderland.