Loading map...

1896 Map of San Carlos

Name: 1896 Topographic Map of San Carlos
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1929
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1929

About this map

Sierra Vieja dominates the eastern half of this landscape, its steep escarpments and peaks like Gettysburg Peak and Capote Peak overlooking the high desert flats of West Texas. Surveyed in 1895, the map documents the sparse ranching economy and critical water sources of Presidio County long before modern development. The network of isolated outposts such as Bright's Ranch, Cienega Ranch, and Capote Ranch relies on a scattered system of springs and canyons, including Mexican Spring, Nixon Spring, and the deep cut of Bracks Canyon.

The Rio Grande forms a jagged international Boundary Line to the west, where small riverside communities like San Antonio and Upper San Antonio are established. This topography reflects a harsh environment where human settlement is strictly dictated by the proximity to water, from the Hot Spring in the south to the Van Horn Creek drainage. These early surveys by Henry Gannett and his team capture a moment when the borderlands were still primarily a frontier of cattle ranching and remote outposts.