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1932 Map of Tonuco

Name: 1932 Topographic Map of Tonuco
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1932
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1932

About this map

The Jornada del Muerto dominates this arid Chihuahuan Desert landscape, bounded to the east by the sheer peaks of the San Andres Range. In the early 1930s, this region was a critical corridor for the A. T. & S. F. railroad, which follows the desert floor past small stops at Aleman, Upham, and Gramma. To the southwest, the Rio Grande cuts through the terrain near the settlement of Tonuco, where a network of primitive roads connects isolated outposts and livestock operations.

Water remains the defining factor of settlement here, marked by numerous family-named landmarks and infrastructure such as Detroit Ranch, Flat Lake Ranch, and Turney Ranch. A sequence of designated points like Summerford well, South well, and Taylor Well illustrate the reliance on groundwater in this high-desert environment. Geologic landmarks such as Point of Rocks and Lone Mt. stand as navigational anchors in the vast open basins between the mountain canyons.