1969 Map of Mitchell Draw

About this map

Mitchell Draw and the serpentine Independence Creek define the arid topography of this West Texas landscape in Terrell County. The 1969 survey, field-checked just as the decade closed, reveals a terrain shaped by dramatic elevation changes and intermittent watercourses. Human impact on the land is sparse but industrial, evidenced by a long Pipeline cutting across the northern reaches and a localized Gravel Pit near the center of the sheet. The network of unimproved roads and fence lines suggests a vast ranching economy where water is the primary concern, noted by the occasional Well located far from the main drainage of Seventeen Draw. These ephemeral waterways and draws are the primary landmarks in an area where the natural geography dictates the sparse settlement patterns of the late twentieth century.