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1968 Map of Mills Bennett NW

Name: 1968 Topographic Map of Mills Bennett NW
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1971
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1971

About this map

The arid landscape of Webb County is defined here by the infrastructure of the petroleum industry and the vital presence of water catchment. In the late 1960s, this area was marked by an extensive Oil Field and a network of scattered sites labeled Drill Hole, reflecting the intensive energy exploration of the era. A long Pipeline cuts diagonally across the northern terrain, bridging the gap between resource extraction and distant markets.

Water management is central to the land's utility, shown through a series of named reservoirs including De Spain Tank, Willow Tank, and Burro Tank. These features, along with intermittent drainages like Torres Creek, Black Creek, and Caliche Creek, illustrate how ranchers and engineers adapted to the South Texas brush country. The map serves as a record of the industrial footprint of the oil industry superimposed on a traditional cattle-raising landscape.