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1936 Map of Palmito Hill

Name: 1936 Topographic Map of Palmito Hill
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1945
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1945

About this map

The Palmito Hill Battlefield occupies the center of this southern Texas landscape, marking the site of the final land engagement of the Civil War along the meandering Rio Grande. The terrain is defined by a series of lomas, or clay dunes, rising above the surrounding coastal salt marshes and flats. Notable elevations include Palmito Hill, Loma de la Estrella, and Loma del Muerto, which provided strategic overlooks near the Boca Chica Highway.

Along the river's winding course, several oxbow-related land tracts known as bancos are identified, such as Caja Pinta Banco No 80 and El Rincon Banco No 126, reflecting the shifting border and land ownership history between the United States and Mexico. Settlement is sparse, represented by established cattle operations like Los Sauces Ranch and Palmito Ranch. To the north, the waters of San Martin Lake and Goose Island dominate the hydrology of the Cameron County interior.