1937 Map of Nine Point Mesa

About this map

The high desert landscape of Brewster County is defined here by the massive Nine Point Mesa and the surrounding Santiago Mountains during the early twentieth century. This survey, conducted primarily in 1917, documents the isolated ranching life of the Big Bend region before the modern era. Sparse settlements like Rixon Ranch, Henderson Ranch, and Johnson Ranch are tied together by primitive routes like the Stormy Lease Trail, illustrating how water sources dictated human presence.