1962 Map of Hill Ranch

About this map

The Edwards Plateau ranching economy of the early 1960s is preserved in this survey of the western reaches of Kimble County. Named family holdings like Hill Ranch, Felthouse Ranch, and Gerhart Ranch dominate the landscape, connected by a network of unimproved dirt roads and light-duty trails that follow the drainage patterns of Maynard Creek and Salina Creek. The map documents a sparsely populated but active agricultural region where the tri-county junction of Sutton, Kimble, and Edwards Counties meets at an Indefinite Boundary. Numerous Gravel Pits are scattered throughout the draws, suggesting local material extraction for the maintenance of these remote ranch access routes. From the Shay Ranch in the south to the Rose Ranch in the northeast, the distribution of these homesteads illustrates the vast land requirements for livestock operations in the semi-arid Texas Hill Country.