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1917 Map of San Simon

Name: 1917 Topographic Map of San Simon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1931
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1931

About this map

Old Fort Bowie stands as a primary historical landmark in this corner of the High Desert, situated near the western edge of the Chiricahua Mountains. The landscape is dominated by the broad San Simon Valley, where the Southern Pacific railroad dictates the pattern of settlement, linking desert outposts like Bowie, Olga, and San Simon. This rail corridor supported a diverse economy of ranching and extraction, evidenced by the numerous family homesteads such as Freeman Ranch and Riggs Home Ranch, alongside industrial operations like the Willie Rose Mine and Marble Quarries.

Education in this sparsely populated territory was anchored by rural institutions including Ninemile School and Artesia School. The transition from the valley floor to the high peaks is marked by features like Helens Dome and Cochise Head, while the eastern portion reveals the Peloncillo Mountains straddling the Arizona New Mexico boundary. This 1914-1915 survey records a pivotal era when early automobile paths like the Borderland Route began to parallel the long-established iron rails.