1951 Map of Ira NW

About this map

The Diamond M Oil Field dominates the southeastern quadrant of this West Texas landscape, illustrating the industrial footprint on the High Plains during the early 1950s. Surveyed just as the regional oil boom was maturing, the map shows a dense network of unimproved roads and pipelines supporting petroleum extraction near the border of Borden and Scurry counties. Away from the derricks, the terrain is defined by ranching infrastructure, including the 9R Ranch and a series of named water catchments such as Indian Head Tank, Polly Tank, and Mesquite Tank.