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1936 Map of Kilgore

Name: 1936 Topographic Map of Kilgore
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1936
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1936

About this map

Kilgore serves as the industrious hub of this East Texas survey, revealing a landscape defined by the expansion of the East Texas Oil Field during the mid-1930s. The concentration of settlements like Oil City, Shell Camp, and Swamp City illustrates the rapid transition of rural Gregg and Rusk counties into an energy-producing powerhouse. Movement through the area is dictated by the Texas and Pacific and Missouri Pacific railroads, with rail-side stops such as Kinsloe Switch and Reeds Switch facilitating the transport of local goods and resources.

Deeply rural social structures remain visible through the high density of country schools and churches, including Leveretts Chapel Sch, New Zion Ch, and the Sabine Valley Sch. Notable landmarks such as the Gregg County Prison Farm and Rock Springs Cem anchor the community history. The meandering Sabine River and its numerous oxbows, like Horseshoe Lake and Black Lake, create a complex hydrologic border for the varied terrain of Goodman Mtn and Holland Mtn.