1917 Map of Noria

About this map

Kilbourne Hole, Hunts Hole, and Phillips Hole define this arid landscape near the border, representing a series of distinctive volcanic craters in the Chihuahuan Desert. Surveyed in 1917, the map captures a remote ranching and railroad corridor where the Southern Pacific tracks serve as the primary artery through the basin. Human presence is concentrated around isolated water points and rail stops such as Lanark, Vevay, and the settlement of Noria. The cattle industry is represented by family-named operations including Herrington's Home Ranch, Herrington's Lower Ranch, and Hall and Primm Ranch. Straddling the New Mexico Meridian, the survey also delineates the international boundary between the United States and Mexico, offering a precise look at this borderland before modern development changed the character of the desert floor.