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1927 Map of Artesia Wells

Name: 1927 Topographic Map of Artesia Wells
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1949
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1949

About this map

The Nueces River winds through this South Texas landscape, creating a lifeline of lakes and seasonal drainages amidst the brush country. Surveyed in the mid-1920s, the map reveals a ranching economy centered around family-named outposts such as Cochina Ranch, San Roque Ranch, and Wuruberger Ranch. These stations are connected by a network of early transit routes, including Big Wells Road and Kings Road, which navigate the subtle topography between the county line and the river bottom.

Water management is the primary focus of the mapping, as evidenced by the series of reservoirs and natural catchments like Harris Lake, Joe Street Lake, and McDonald Lake. The presence of several named creeks, such as Espio Creek and Salt Creek, highlights the importance of drainage patterns in this arid region, while the southern portion remains a notable Unsurveyed Area at the time of the original study.