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1893 Map of Fort McKavett

Name: 1893 Topographic Map of Fort McKavett
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1893
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1893

About this map

Fort McKavett serves as the focal point of this 1891 topographical study, situated at the headwaters of the San Saba River where the borders of Menard, Schleicher, and Kimble counties converge. The landscape is defined by a dense network of intermittent drainages, such as North Valley and Terrett Draw, which carve through the high plateaus of the Edwards Plateau. The settlement pattern revealed here is almost exclusively agrarian, dominated by sprawling family-run operations.

Genealogists will find a high density of named ranching sites, including Bates Old Ranch, the Henderson Brothers Ranch, and Rileys Old Ranch. These labels provide a precise ledger of land tenure in West Texas during the late nineteenth century, reflecting the transition from military outpost to a settled livestock economy. Water sources like Seven Springs appear as critical landmarks in an otherwise arid terrain, anchoring the small clusters of human activity found at Balls Ranch and Ogdens Ranch.