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1943 Map of High Island

Name: 1943 Topographic Map of High Island
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1943
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1943

About this map

The salt dome of High Island rises above the surrounding wetlands in this 1943 survey, serving as a prominent landmark along the Gulf Coast. During the early 1940s, this area functioned as a vital transport corridor, where the Santa Fe railroad and the Intracoastal Waterway intersect near the Chambers and Galveston county line. The coastal landscape is defined by a complex network of tidal passages, including East Bay Bayou, Oyster Bayou, and Mud Bayou, which drain into the East Bay and the Lower Marsh.

Coastal settlements like Gilchrist sit narrowly between the Gulf of Mexico and the marshlands, illustrating the precarious nature of early shoreline development. Significant geographic features such as Mussel Pt and Devils Elbow mark the transition from open water to the winding bayou systems. This documentation by the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Corps of Engineers captures the region's hydraulic and transport infrastructure before the mid-century expansion of the Gulf Coast's industrial footprint.