1940 Map of Monte Christo

About this map

The agricultural development of the Rio Grande Valley is visible in this 1940 survey, which highlights the expanding irrigation network of the Main Canal and Shary 3rd Main feeding into local farmsteads. The settlement at Monte Cristo serves as a hub for several family-named ranching operations, including Monte Cristo Ranch, La Gloria Ranch, and Tanquecillas Ranch. The intersection of industrial and social life is evident near Shary Lake, where the Wimobasis Club and an Experimental Farm appear alongside the rail lines of the Missouri Pacific System. This period shows a transition from traditional large-scale ranching to a grid-based agricultural landscape defined by roads such as Mile 10 Road and Mile 9 Road, as well as the extraction efforts at the Joya Gravel Pit.