1983 Map of San Antonio Bay

About this map

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge dominates the coastal bend in the early 1980s, preserving a complex network of marshes and peninsulas between San Antonio Bay and Mesquite Bay. The landscape is defined by the shallow waters of Espiritu Santo Bay and the protective barrier of Matagorda Island, which shelters the Intracoastal Waterway from the open Gulf of Mexico. On the mainland, small fishing and ranching communities like Seadrift and Austwell sit near the estuaries where the Guadalupe River and San Antonio River meet the coast. Further south, Goose Island State Park marks the edge of the Lamar Peninsula. This era shows the region's transition into a major wildlife sanctuary and recreational hub, with an Old RR Grade cutting through the inland prairie near Tivoli, hinting at the area's earlier rail-dependent commerce.