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1916 Map of Burnett Bay

Name: 1916 Topographic Map of Burnett Bay
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1916
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1916

About this map

The San Jacinto Battlefield and the surrounding riverine landscape of eastern Harris County are meticulously detailed during the early years of the First World War. This survey captures a transitional era for the region, where historical landmarks like the San Jacinto River and Buffalo Bayou meet the emerging industrial infrastructure of the Houston-Galveston-Ship-Channel. Settlement is concentrated in small communities such as Lynchburg, Elena, and Wooster, each served by local institutions like the Lynchburg School and Elena School.

Navigation and transport are central to the map's character, showing early road networks including the Wallisville Road and Market Street Road. The complex hydrology of the coastal lowlands is evident in the many oxbow lakes and inlets, such as Muleshoe Lake and Lost Lake, which highlight the intricate interplay between the land and the tidal waters before the heavy industrialization of the mid-20th century.