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1906 Map of Van Horn

Name: 1906 Topographic Map of Van Horn
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1920
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1920

About this map

Van Horn stands at the junction of arid basins and high mountain ranges in this early twentieth-century study of West Texas. The landscape is defined by the logistics of water and mining, with isolated outposts like Figure Two Ranch and Millican's Ranch serving as focal points in a vast territory. The Texas and Pacific RR provides the primary industrial artery, cutting across the southern flats toward the Van Horn Mountains.

Mineral extraction is a significant presence on this sheet, evidenced by the Hazel Mine and a Marble Quarry located in the northern reaches near the Sierra Diablo range. The survey meticulously notes numerous wells and springs, such as Bean's Lower Wells and Apache Spring, which were vital for the cattle ranching economy. This era represents a time when the region was transitioning from a purely ranching frontier into a more integrated mining and railroad corridor.