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1953 Map of Brownsville

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Brownsville
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1953
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1953

About this map

The Rio Grande delta region in the early 1950s is defined here by a complex network of irrigation floodways and international border commerce. Significant infrastructure like the Brownsville Ship Channel and the Rio Grande Valley International airport underscore the area's development as a maritime and aviation hub. Inland, the landscape is dotted with family-named outposts and legacy cattle operations such as Tecolote Ranch, Balls Ranch, and Yturria, interspersed with established agricultural centers like Raymondville and Lyford.

Rail transport remains a primary artery, with the St Louis Brownsville and Mexico line running parallel to the coast. Coastal geography is meticulously detailed, from the hypersaline La Sal Vieja to the intricate islands and inlets of the Laguna Madre, including Three Islands and the Brazos Santiago Pass. This survey captures the Lower Rio Grande Valley just before the post-war suburban expansion significantly altered these rural ranching and citrus-growing corridors.