1944 Map of Malvado

About this map

The Rio Grande carves a deep, winding boundary between Texas and Mexico in this mid-century survey of western Terrell County. The landscape is defined by its ranching heritage and the critical infrastructure of the Southern Pacific and New Orleans railroad and the Jefferson Davis Highway (U.S. Route 90). These transit lines cross the arid terrain through a series of dramatic canyon systems, including Lozier Canyon and Thurston Canyon. Settlement is largely restricted to isolated ranching outposts such as Barksdale Ranch, Williams Ranch, and Rock Pens Ranch, illustrating the vast, low-density land use of the Trans-Pecos region. Small sidings or settlements like Malvado and Watkins mark the points where the railroad interacts with the drainage basins of Cedar Creek and Cow Creek.