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1956 Map of Lake Wichita

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Lake Wichita
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1958
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

The southern residential expansion of Wichita Falls meets the northern reaches of the Hull-Silk oil field in this mid-century survey. Dominating the central landscape is Lake Wichita, bordered by the sprawling grounds of the Wichita Falls State Hospitals and the developing campus of Midwestern University. The infrastructure of the era is clearly visible through the Fort Worth and Denver (Burlington) railroad lines and the extensive network of oil wells and pipelines that define the local economy.

Genealogists and local historians can find significant landmarks on the rural fringes, including several country schools and cemeteries. While the city grows along Lakeview Drive, the southern countryside near Lake Creek preserves evidence of a vanishing rural school system, with both the Bowman Sch (Aband) and Huff Sch (Aband) clearly marked as abandoned by 1956. This document provides a look at the transition between established settlements like Allendale and the expanding municipal boundaries of Wichita Falls.