1971 Map of The Basin

About this map

Chisos Mountains topography dominates this 1970s survey, detailing the heart of Big Bend National Park before the modernization of more recent decades. The map illustrates the central hub of the park's visitor services at the Campground, Outdoor Theater, and the Chisos Mountain Lodge, situated within a high-elevation basin ringed by formidable peaks like Casa Grande Peak and Pulliam Peak. The landscape is a study in verticality and water management, where the drainage from Cattail Creek and Ash Creek meets significant vertical drops such as Cattail Falls and the iconic gap known as The Window. Evidence of earlier land use survives through labels for the Old Ranch and various remote water sources like Gano Spring and Government Spring, while the primitive network of the Pack Trail and Apache Canyon Trail provides a look at the backcountry routes of the era.