1963 Map of Fordtran

About this map

The Helen Gohlke Oil Field and Barry Oil Field dominate the landscape of the Texas coastal plain along the De Witt and Victoria County line. The map reveals an industrial countryside defined by numerous drill holes, gas wells, and a central Pumping Sta. While much of the area is given over to extraction, the small settlement of Fordtran sits near an Old Railroad Grade, marking a point of transition between the region's agricultural past and its mid-century petroleum economy. Waterways like Chicolete Creek and Garcitas Creek wind through the terrain, with a notable reservoir at Spillway Elev 181. The prevalence of gravel pits and a network of service roads, including Hensley Road, underscores the infrastructure built to support the intensive resource extraction that shaped these counties during the early 1960s.