1968 Map of Cowden Place

About this map

Monahans Sand Hills State Park dominates the southern landscape of this West Texas quadrangle, where the shifting topography of the Monahans Sand Hills meets the industrial infrastructure of the Permian Basin. This survey, field-checked in 1968, illustrates a specialized arid-land economy dependent on scattered groundwater and petroleum extraction. The surface is punctuated by numerous named wells, such as the Harris Windmill and Coyote Windmill, which served the few residential outposts like Cowden Place and Williams Ranch. Subsurface activity is equally prominent, with the Arenosa Oil Field and Yarbrough-Allen Oil Field marked by a dense network of pipelines and drill holes. Transport in the region is defined by the Texas and Pacific railroad line in the southeast and various Jeep Trails cutting through the dunes, highlighting the intersection of recreation and industry in the late 1960s.