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1966 Map of Desdemona

Name: 1966 Topographic Map of Desdemona
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1969
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1969

About this map

The settlement of Desdemona centers this mid-1960s survey, illustrating a landscape defined by the intersection of the Eastland Co Erath Co line and the winding course of Hog Creek. Once a booming oil town, the area is marked by numerous Gas Wells and active resource extraction, including several Gravel Pits and a Quarry along the Leon River. The terrain transitions from the elevations of Mockingbird Hill and Rattlesnake Mountain in the north toward the river bottomlands in the southwest.

Evidence of former transportation networks is visible in the Old Railroad Grade that cuts through the countryside northwest of town. Local family history is anchored by sites like Howard Cem and the small community of Chaney. The map captures the rural Texas Cross Timbers region at a time when traditional ranching and petroleum interests coexisted, following drainage patterns like Salt Branch and South Fork Palo Pinto Creek.