1955 Map of Port Isabel

About this map

The coastal environment of Port Isabel and its surrounding lagoons is defined by a complex network of man-made navigation routes and natural barrier island formations. This survey captures the area as the Queen Isabella Causeway linked the mainland to South Padre Island, facilitating the growth of tourism at Isla Blanca Park. The maritime economy is evident in the engineered Brownsville Ship Channel and the Intracoastal Waterway, while vestiges of earlier transport appear in the Old Railroad Grade near Laguna Heights. To the south, the landscape dissolves into a series of lomas, including Loma de la Palangana and Loma del Islote, rising above the flats of South Bay. These higher elevations, or clay dunes, provide distinct landforms amidst the shifting topography of Brazos Island and its Shifting Sand Dunes.