Loading map...

1936 Map of Santa Maria

Name: 1936 Topographic Map of Santa Maria
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1945
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1945

About this map

The Rio Grande defines the shifting southern boundary of this South Texas landscape, where the river's meandering history is recorded in a series of cut-off loops known as bancos. Features like Palma Banco No 25 and Soliseñito Banco No 22 illustrate the complex riparian geography of the borderlands during the 1930s. The agricultural development of the Lower Rio Grande Valley is evident in the network of irrigation infrastructure, including the Santa Maria Pumping Sta and La Feria Pumping Sta, which drew water into the interior.

Settlement patterns follow the high ground along the river and the Missouri Pacific railroad line. Small communities and named landholdings such as Bluetown, Venadito, and Gloria Ranch dot the corridor between Santa Maria and Las Rusias. Transport in the era relied on historic thoroughfares like the Old Military Road, while the winding Resaca de los Fresnos provides a natural counterpoint to the straight-line irrigation canals and property boundaries typical of this region's transition to intensive farming.