1923 Map of Saltillo Ranch

About this map

Large isolated ranching operations define the coastal prairie of Kenedy County in this early 1920s survey. Key inland outposts like Saltillo Ranch and San Ignacio Ranch anchor a landscape reliant on scattered groundwater sources, evidenced by named sites such as Mayote Wells and San Francisco Well. The eastern edge of the map is dominated by the intricate shoreline of the Laguna Madre, where the shallow hypersaline lagoon meets the mainland, including the nearby landform of Lopena Island. The network of unimproved trails connecting San Pedro Ranch and Los Tajos Ranch illustrates the remote nature of South Texas cattle country before modern infrastructure reached this stretch of the Gulf Coast. The sparse distribution of wells and ranch houses highlights a way of life deeply tied to the natural hydrology of the brush country.