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1896 Map of Polvo

Name: 1896 Topographic Map of Polvo
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1909
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1909

About this map

The United States Mexico Boundary Line defines this 1895 topographic study, following the winding course of the Rio Grande as it separates Texas and Chihuahua. The landscape is dominated by a series of dramatic drainages cutting toward the river, including Bofecillos Canyon, Burros Canyon, and Rancherias Canyon. Human presence is sparse and largely tied to the river and the canyon mouths, where small settlements like Polvo and Mulato sit opposite one another across the international border.

Several family-named ranching outposts are scattered throughout the high ground, providing a glimpse into the late nineteenth-century pastoral economy of the Big Bend region. Notable locations such as Bofecillos Ranch, Burros Ranch, and Ellozo Ranch are documented here, alongside isolated points like Santiago and Domingo. The map illustrates the extreme isolation of these desert reaches before modern infrastructure reached the river banks.