1951 Map of Ira SW

About this map

The Colorado River carves a deep path across the northern half of this landscape, its winding course marked by dramatic elevation changes. In the early 1950s, this area of West Texas shows the quiet intersection of ranching and the emerging petroleum industry, with the Conrad Ranch situated near the center of the sheet. The terrain is defined by the drainage of Willow Creek, which flows southeast across a boundary where four counties—Borden, Howard, Scurry, and Mitchell—meet in close proximity. Economic activity is concentrated around industrial markers like the Oil Well, Oil Tanks, and a prominent Pipe Line that cuts across the northern ridges. For genealogists and local historians, the map offers a precise look at mid-century land use, from isolated water sources like a Windmill to the specific placements of ranch buildings before later decades of development changed the footprint of these rural holdings.