1972 Map of Santa Elena NW

About this map

Ranching infrastructure and water management dominate this South Texas landscape along the Jim Hogg Co Brooks Co line. The terrain is marked by an extensive network of windmills and flowing wells, indicating a reliance on groundwater to support the area's cattle operations during the early 1970s. Key water sources like Alto Bonito Well and the curiously named Mama Windmill suggest a history of family-owned ranching parcels. A north-south Pipeline and a remote Landing Strip reflect the industrial and logistical footprints necessary for managing such a vast, semi-arid environment. Traces of resource extraction appear in the southeast near a Gravel Pit, while the variety of windmill names, such as Agua Dulce Windmill and San Pedro Windmill, provides a glimpse into the local nomenclature of this rural borderlands region.