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1962 Map of Big Hill Bayou

Name: 1962 Topographic Map of Big Hill Bayou
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1979
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1979

About this map

J D Murphee Wildlife Management Area dominates this coastal landscape, showing the complex hydrology of Jefferson County in the early 1960s. The map illustrates a transition from the structured Intracoastal Waterway to the winding natural channels of Big Hill Bayou and Salt Bayou. The presence of several pipelines and a prominent Pumping Station along the Drummon Canal highlights the industrial water management and energy infrastructure critical to the Texas Gulf Coast during this era.

Water defines every quadrant of the sheet, from the open expanse of the Big Hill Reservoir to smaller named bodies like Blind Lake and Shell Lake. Named terrain features such as Gum Island and Hog Island rise above the surrounding wetlands, providing landmarks amidst the Willow Slough Marsh. This survey, updated with purple revisions in the 1970s, captures the shifting boundaries between protected wildlife habitat and the commercial maritime routes that supported the regional economy.