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1951 Map of Mexican Pass

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Mexican Pass
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1953
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1953

About this map

The Owl Creek Mountains dominate this central Wyoming landscape, creating a formidable geographic boundary between the Big Horn Basin and the Wind River Indian Reservation. A sparse network of trails and the Mexican Pass Road provide the primary transit through this arid terrain, linking remote outposts like Engle Ranch and the Mexican Place. The map illustrates a landscape where water is the defining resource for survival and ranching, evidenced by scattered names like Mexican Spring, Indian Trails Spring, and Water Cress Spring.

South of the mountain crest, the terrain opens into the broad expanse of Buffalo Basin, where isolated landmarks like Buffalo Butte and Blue Ridge rise above the flats. This mid-century survey captures the region before extensive modern development, documenting the traditional paths through Mexican Pass and the importance of localized catchments like the Blue Reservoir in an otherwise dry and demanding high-desert environment.