1956 Map of Denton

About this map

Denton and the surrounding rangelands of southwestern Oklahoma appear here in the mid-1950s, a landscape defined by the intersection of agricultural roots and the emerging energy economy. The map reveals a rural society structured around local gathering points like the Hurley Grove Community House, Woodlawn Church, and the schoolrooms of Starr School and Beaver School. This period marks a significant transition as an extensive Oil and Gas Field begins to dominate the central terrain, with numerous Oil wells and Slush tanks appearing alongside established watercourses like Little Beaver Creek and Cottonwood Creek. The survey clearly delineates the complex county boundaries where Comanche, Grady, and Stephens counties meet, providing a precise record of property and political lines just as industrial oil extraction was reshaping the Oklahoma prairie.