1958 Map of Bland

About this map

The Fort Hood Military Reservation dominates this central Texas landscape, where military training grounds meet the rising waters of the Leon River valley. Established in the late 1950s, the map reveals the complex intersection of federal land use and local geography along the Coryell Co Bell Co line. Significant terrain features like the Owl Creek Mountains, Sparta Mountain, and Union Hill overlook the expanding reaches of Belton Lake, which floods the eastern portions of the quadrangle. Small settlements like Bland and Cold Springs remain as anchors of the earlier ranching era, while the County Line Community Ch serves as a social landmark near the northern boundary. The intricate drainage system, including Cowhouse Creek and the curiously named Metheglin Creek, illustrates the rugged topography that necessitated the filtration and infrastructure developments seen at the Filtration Plant.