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1918 Map of Clara

Name: 1918 Topographic Map of Clara
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1918
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1918

About this map

Clara and the surrounding plains of Wichita County are captured here just as North Texas was transitioning from ranching to an oil-dominated economy. This 1915 survey shows a rural landscape defined by the drainage of Wildhorse Creek and Gilbert Creek leading toward the Red River. The settlement pattern is organized around a grid of section lines and two primary thoroughfares: Electra Road and Burkburnett Road.

Social life in this pre-war era centered on the country schools, including Fairview School, Wyeth School, and Lost Creek School. The cluster of dwellings at Stringtown and the post office at Clara suggest a period of peak rural density before larger-scale mechanization and urban migration shifted the population. Small farm ponds and the winding paths of Stevens Creek and Lost Creek provide insight into the water management required for agriculture in this portion of the Texas-Oklahoma borderlands.