1931 Map of Ivan

About this map

The Brazos River carves a dramatic series of oxbow bends across this territory at the junction of Young, Stephens, and Palo Pinto counties. In the mid-1920s, the landscape was defined by small rural schoolhouses and isolated settlements, reflecting a transition from open ranching to established farming and early petroleum activity. Communities like South Bend and Oil City sit near the river's northern reach, while scattered educational centers such as Duff Prairie Sch and Ming Bend Sch served the dispersed population. The terrain south of the river turns to a dense network of hollows and ridges, including Billiehunt Hollow and Bear Hollow, which converge toward the Caddo Creek drainage. Notable elevations like Ball Mtn and Hayrick Mtn provide landmarks across a topography that, during this era, was just beginning to be documented with the help of aerial photography from the Army Air Corps.