1896 Map of Ruidosa

About this map

The Rio Grande carves a sharp international divide through this high desert reach of Presidio County, where the 1895 survey by C.C. Bassett documents a sparse but vital network of borderlands outposts. Settlements like Ruidosa and Roderigo cling to the riverbank, while the massive elevation of the Chinati Mountains dominates the eastern horizon. The landscape is defined by drainage systems like Pinto Canyon and San Antonio Canyon that cut through the high ground toward the river valley.