1956 Map of Santa Maria

About this map

Meandering loops of the Rio Grande define the landscape south of Santa Maria in this mid-century survey of the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The intricate network of irrigation canals and pumping stations, such as the La Feria Pumping Sta and Santa Maria Pumping Sta, highlights the region's intensive agricultural development during the 1950s. A series of cut-off river segments known as bancos, including Palma Banco No 25 and El Zurron Banco No 26, mark the shifting international boundary between the United States and Mexico and the state line of Texas and Tamaulipas. Inland, the map captures the transition from ranch lands like Gloria Ranch and Galveston Ranch to organized water storage at Adams Gardens Reservoir and Willacy Reservoir, serving the small settlements of Bluetown and Las Rusias.