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1897 Map of Brackettville

Name: 1897 Topographic Map of Brackettville
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1932
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1932

About this map

Fort Clark and the adjacent town of Brackettville anchor this frontier landscape, serving as a critical military and social hub in the late nineteenth century. The map reveals a fascinating cultural geography, notably including the Seminole Settlement south of the fort, a location of immense value for genealogists and historians of the Black Seminole Scouts. This 1890s survey preserves a network of family-held properties such as Hitchcock Ranch, Weymiller Ranch, and Woodhull Ranch, illustrating the transition from open range to established ranching operations.

Transportation corridors dominate the southern terrain, where the Southern Pacific R.R. and the Galveston Harrisburg and San Antonio Div intersect at Spofford. The natural environment is defined by the Anacacho Mountains and deep water holes like Government Water Hole, which were vital for both human settlement and the movement of livestock. Industrial interests are also evident at Asphalt Mtn and Carbonville in the eastern reaches near the West Nueces River.