1967 Map of Hatchel

About this map

The oil-rich plains of Runnels County are defined here by a extensive O I L F I E L D that spans the northern and central landscape. In the south, the city of Ballinger sits at the confluence of several vital waterways, including the winding Elm Creek and Rattlesnake Creek. This 1967 survey, updated with 1980s photogrammetric revisions, captures the mid-century infrastructure of the region, from the Drive-in Theater and Radio Tower near the city center to the numerous Gravel Pits dotting the countryside. Genealogy and local history are anchored at the Old Runnels Cem, located near the central fork of Coyote Creek. The map also documents a changing transportation network, specifically the dismantled railroad lines that once served the rural community of Hatchel and the surrounding agricultural and petroleum tracts.