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1918 Map of Victorio

Name: 1918 Topographic Map of Victorio
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1918
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1918

About this map

The Cedar Mountain Range dominates this 1918 topographical study of the New Mexico borderlands, a landscape defined by ranching and early mining ventures. The El Paso and Southwestern railroad cuts diagonally across the arid terrain, connecting the settlement of Victorio with the wider regional economy. This corridor was vital for the movement of cattle and ore during the early 20th century, as evidenced by the network of water sources like Wamels Pond and Wamels Upper Well that supported livestock in the open range.

Industrial activity is anchored in the south at the Sierra Rica Mines and Occidental Mines near the international boundary with Mexico. These mining sites, alongside family-named operations like Bud Williams Ranch and Flying W Ranch, provide specific points of interest for genealogists and historians tracing the development of Grant and Luna counties during a period when the frontier was transitioning into a more established ranching and mining district.