1923 Map of Armstrong

About this map

The coastal prairie of South Texas is defined here by the thin corridor of the St Louis Brownsville and Mexico railroad, which provides the primary link between isolated settlements in the early 1920s. Centered in Kenedy County, the landscape is characterized by intermittent depressions and dunes, punctuated by the critical presence of Chaparrazo Well. Large-scale ranching operations dominate the interior, with family-named outposts like Lorita Ranch and Marida Ranch serving as anchors in the brush country. The survey captures the small depots of Armstrong and Norias along the rail line, marking these points of commerce and transit before the modernization of the regional highway system. The map also delineates the complex intersection where the boundaries of Hidalgo, Brooks, and Kenedy counties meet, illustrating the administrative partition of these sprawling cattle lands.