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1939 Map of Big Wells

Name: 1939 Topographic Map of Big Wells
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1958
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

Large cattle operations and family holdings define the South Texas landscape between the Zavala and Dimmit county line at the end of the 1930s. The I-Gn Rr bisects the region, serving as a vital transport artery for agricultural centers like Big Wells and the small settlement of Brundage. The grid of the railroad is punctuated by specialized stops such as J. N. Siding, which provided local ranchers with a direct link to larger markets.

Water management is central to life in this arid brush country, illustrated by the presence of Encina Lake and the southern course of the Nueces River. Named ranches including the Butterworth Ranch, Kincaid Ranch, and Levering Ranch are scattered throughout the quadrangle, alongside dozens of smaller family farms and landmarks like Bermuda. The map documents a period of established ranching culture before later twentieth-century developments altered the rural settlement patterns of the Chaparral region.