1974 Map of Bay City

About this map

Bay City and the surrounding coastal prairies are defined by the winding course of the Colorado River and the extensive marshlands of the San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge. This mid-1970s perspective shows the delicate geography of the Matagorda Peninsula, separating East Matagorda Bay from the open Gulf of Mexico. The map documents the industrial and transit footprint of the era, including the Missouri Pacific and Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad lines that connected the interior to the coast. Along the shoreline, small communities like Matagorda Beach and Sargent sit near expansive wetlands and lakes such as Cow Trap Lake and Cedar Lake. Deep-water features like Stetson Bank and Clay Bank illustrate the transition from the coastal wetlands to the underwater bathymetry of the Gulf shelf.