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1985 Map of Santiago Mountains

Name: 1985 Topographic Map of Santiago Mountains
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1994
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1994

About this map

Santiago Mountains dominate the central spine of this high-desert landscape in the mid-1980s, marking a rugged transition toward the northern reaches of Big Bend National Park. The map documents a sparsely populated ranching and wilderness area where the boundary between Presidio and Brewster counties meets across vast mesa lands like Bandera Mesa and Tascotal Mesa. Human presence is sparse, indicated by isolated landmarks such as House White and several remote landing strips utilized for access to these distant reaches.

Drainage patterns define the geography here, with Terlingua Creek and Maravillas Creek carving through the arid basins. To the southeast, the terrain rises into the Rosillos Mountains and the Sierra del Carmen, highlighting the complex limestone and volcanic geology of the Trans-Pecos. This survey, compiled from data updated through 1983, captures the essential character of the Big Bend backcountry before modern expansion, preserving the names of remote peaks like Agua Fria Mountain and Panther Mountain.