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1985 Map of Denton

Name: 1985 Topographic Map of Denton
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1985
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1985

About this map

Denton and Decatur anchor this mid-1980s landscape, a period when the North Texas corridor was seeing significant expansion. The map detail highlights the rail-dependent growth of the era, following the lines of the Burlington Northern, Missouri-Kansas-Texas, and Santa Fe railroads as they connect rural outposts like Bolivar and Justin to the larger municipal centers. Water management and recreation are central to the region’s layout, dominated by the massive reservoirs of Lake Bridgeport in the west and Lewisville Lake in the east.

Local history and genealogy interests are well-served by the inclusion of smaller, established communities such as Wizard Wells, Elizabethtown, and Cottondale. Prominent terrain markers like Ball Knob, Blue Mound, and Pilot Knob provide essential landmarks across the prairie. The map also records significant sites like Oaklawn Cem, which alongside dozens of creek systems like Denton Creek and the Elm Fork Trinity River, illustrates the intersection of natural drainage and human settlement before the rapid urbanization of the late 20th century.