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1938 Map of Cuevitas

Name: 1938 Topographic Map of Cuevitas
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

Family-named ranching complexes and early petroleum infrastructure dominate this South Texas landscape across the borders of Jim Hogg, Zapata, and Starr counties. The map reveals a highly decentralized settlement pattern where named ranches such as San Antonio Viejo Ranch and La Violetta Ranch function as the primary geographic markers. Small communal centers like Guerra, Viboras, and Cuevitas provide the few concentrated points of habitation in an area defined by extensive pastoral land.

Industrial development is visible through the emergence of the Colorado Oil Field and the Sun Oil Co Camp, highlighting the era's expanding energy footprint. Navigating the terrain is a network of trails and secondary roads that link these isolated outposts, crossing drainage features such as Juan Chico Creek and Sandia Creek. Genealogists will find particular value in the dozens of specific family-named sites, including Las Moritas Ranch, Puerto Rico Ranch, and Rancho Solo, which document the territorial heritage of the Rio Grande Valley hinterlands.