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1887 Map of Coleman

Name: 1887 Topographic Map of Coleman
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1896
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1896

About this map

Coleman serves as the central hub of this late-19th-century West Texas landscape, where the iron rails of the Gulf Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad cut a diagonal path across the prairie. The survey, conducted under J.W. Powell, illustrates a transition from the frontier military era to a settled ranching and farming economy. To the northeast, the site of Camp Colorado remains a landmark of earlier defense, while the rising peaks of the Santa Anna Mountains overlook the growing town of Santa Anna.

A network of small outposts and rural commerce centers, including Byrds Store, Trickham, and Thrifty, are connected by primitive roads following natural drainage patterns. The hydrology is defined by Pecan Bayou in the northeast and numerous seasonal branches like Hords Creek and Mukewater Creek. This map captures the precise moment when isolated settlements were beginning to consolidate around the rail line and established water sources, providing a clear record for those tracing family roots in early Coleman and Brown counties.