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1984 Map of Potato Patch Lake

Name: 1984 Topographic Map of Potato Patch Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1985
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1985

About this map

The Neches River meanders sharply through the heart of the Big Thicket National Preserve in this mid-1980s topographical study. This landscape is defined by its complex hydrology, where the river's shifting course has created numerous oxbows and secondary water bodies like Horseshoe Lake, Jackson Lake, and Clear Lake. The intersection of Tyler, Jasper, and Hardin counties is marked by these dense river bottomlands and wetlands.

Elevations remain low across the floodplain, though notable terrain features such as Yellow Bluff rise above the riverbanks. Smaller tributaries, including Black Branch and Franks Branch, drain the surrounding timberlands toward the primary waterway. The map records the area just as the federal preserve boundaries were being established, preserving a primitive environment of sloughs and creeks such as Maple Creek and the namesake Potato Patch Lake.