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1896 Map of San Carlos

Name: 1896 Topographic Map of San Carlos
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1914
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1914

About this map

The Tierra Vieja Mountains dominate this high-desert landscape in Presidio Co., rising sharply above the Rio Grande during the final years of the nineteenth century. The mapping captures a frontier environment defined by isolated ranching outposts and vital water sources. Prominent peaks like Gettysburg Peak and Capote Peak serve as landmarks in an area where life centered on the scattered springs and tanks necessary for survival.

Settlement patterns follow the river and the mountain flanks, evidenced by clusters at San Antonio and Upper San Antonio, and secluded homesteads such as Bright's Ranch, Cienega Ranch, and Capote Ranch. The terrain is deeply incised by canyons, including Bracks Canyon and Gill Canyon, which channel seasonal flows like Walker Creek toward the international border. This survey provides a rare look at the infrastructure of the Trans-Pecos before modern development, marking the locations of primitive cattle tanks like McMinns Tank and remote water points such as Newman Spring and Brooks Spring.