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1955 Map of Bessmay

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Bessmay
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1956
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1956

About this map

Bessmay and Buna anchor the northwest corner of this mid-1950s landscape, where the lumber and rail industries meet the deep bottomlands of the Sabine River basin. The area is defined by a dense network of watercourses and wetlands, including the sprawling Little Cypress Creek and distinct geographical features like Bumpy Baygall and Devils Pocket. Resource extraction is evident through numerous Oil Wells and Gas Wells scattered across the prairies, illustrating the mid-century industrial footprint on the East Texas piney woods.

Genealogists can locate family landmarks such as Morse Cem near White Bay Branch and Wright Cem further east, alongside community gathering points like Nichols Creek Ch. The transport infrastructure of the era is preserved through the routes of the Gulf Colorado and Santa Fe (AT & SF), the Missouri Pacific, and the K C S railroads, which connected smaller settlements like Gist, Robertson, and Hartburg to the regional economy.