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1904 Map of Terlingua

Name: 1904 Topographic Map of Terlingua
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1942
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1942

About this map

Solitario dominates the northwestern portion of this region, a massive circular geologic structure carved by Fresno Canyon and dotted with isolated outposts like Howards Ranch and Burnt Camp. Surveyed at the dawn of the twentieth century in cooperation with the University of Texas Mineral Survey, the map documents the early mining and ranching economy of the Big Bend area. The mining communities of Terlingua and Study Butte are central to the eastern half, connected by primitive trails to remote valley sites such as Terlingua Abaja.

To the south, the international boundary along the Rio Grande is marked by the dramatic deep-cut Santa Elena Canyon. Scattered throughout this arid landscape are essential water sources such as Comanche Spring and Saucita Spring, along with landmarks like Colquitt-Tigner Cave. The topography reveals a complex network of arroyos and mesas, including Santana Mesa and Mesa de Anguila, which defined the difficult movement of cattle and minerals before modern infrastructure arrived.