1967 Map of Novice West

About this map

The border between Runnels and Coleman counties divides this West Texas landscape, where the small settlement of Novice sits near the headwaters of the South Fork Jim Ned Creek. In the late 1960s, the local economy was anchored by the Williams Oil Field and numerous scattered wells throughout the eastern half of the quadrangle. Water management is a defining characteristic of the terrain, visible in the infrastructure of Novice City Lake with its three distinct spillways and the seasonal flow of Hords Creek and Mud Creek. Genealogists will find the rural burial grounds at Atoka Cem and Crews Cem preserved in their mid-century context, while several named water sources like Jim Ned Spring and Pecan Spring suggest the importance of reliable water in this rolling ranch and oil country. Topographically, the area is punctuated by Gap and Blue Gap, which overlook the complex network of draws and prongs feeding the regional creek systems.