1959 Map of Gay Hill

About this map

The boundary between Burleson and Washington Counties is defined here by the winding course of Yegua Creek, a landscape where cattle ranching, early oil exploration, and rural community life converged in the late 1950s. The settlement of Gay Hill serves as a local anchor, connected to the wider region by the Gulf Colorado and Santa Fe railroad and the Division Memorial Highway. The map reveals a deeply rooted social geography, marked by several country churches including Old Gay Hill Ch, Frieden Ch, and St Peter Ch, along with the Prairie Hill Sch. Industrial activity is concentrated in the east at the Clay Creek Oil Field and Dallas Oil Field, showing the expansion of petroleum interests into the Brazos River valley hinterlands. Genealogy researchers can also locate the Wallace Cem and Frieden Cem, preserving the names of early Texas settlers in this rolling prairie region.