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1961 Map of Smith Point

Name: 1961 Topographic Map of Smith Point
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1964
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1964

About this map

Smith Point serves as a critical geographic pivot where Trinity Bay, Galveston Bay, and East Bay converge. In the early 1960s, this coastal landscape was defined by the extraction of natural resources, illustrated by the extensive Umbrella Point Oil Field and Redfish Reef Oil Field. Dozens of offshore assets, labeled simply as Oil Well, Gas Well, or Drill Hole, pepper the shallow waters, connected to the mainland by a complex network of pipelines.

On the peninsula itself, the small community of Smith Point is situated near the Davis Cem, reflecting the deep-rooted family history of this isolated stretch of Chambers County. Navigation was essential for the local economy, with the Trinity River Channel and Houston Ship Channel providing vital deep-water access. Natural features like the Vingt-et-un Islands and Red Fish Bar highlight the precarious and shifting shoreline of the Texas Gulf Coast during this era of industrial expansion.