1976 Map of Abernathy SW

About this map

Blackwater Draw meanders across this High Plains landscape, its winding channel punctuating a vast patchwork of circular and rectangular agricultural fields. Produced from 1976 aerial photography, this orthophotoquad reveals the intricate textures of the Llano Estacado's surface, where hundreds of playa lakes or depression features appear as dark, varied shapes among the tillable land. In the southern portion of the sheet, the label Caldwell marks a boundary area, highlighting how regional divisions overlay the natural drainage patterns of the draw. This document provides a rare direct visual of land-use patterns and moisture retention in the soil before modern center-pivot irrigation and contemporary development altered the rural texture of Lubbock County.