Loading map...

1957 Map of Lasara

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of Lasara
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1970
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1970

About this map

Hydraulic engineering and irrigation infrastructure define this South Texas landscape, where the Monte Alto Reservoir Unit No 1 and Monte Alto Reservoir Unit No 2 dominate the center of the sheet. The area is marked by a complex system of elevated ditches and levees, including the Main Branch and the Main Supply Canal, reflecting the region's intensive agricultural development during the mid-20th century.

The town of Lasara sits at a crossroads of the Missouri Pacific railroad, surrounded by several family and community burial grounds such as Garcia Cemetery, San Martin Cemetery, and the Lasara Memorial Cemetery. Further south, the settlement of Stockholm and its nearby Stockholm Cemetery suggest earlier patterns of colonizing land along the rail corridor. This survey captures a moment when the Willacy and Hidalgo county border was defined by these sprawling irrigation networks and the steady movement of the railroad.