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1951 Map of South Bird Island SE

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of South Bird Island SE
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1953
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1953

About this map

Padre Island dominates this mid-century topographic survey, showing a landscape defined by shifting sands and the narrow interface between the Laguna Madre and the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal morphology is meticulously documented, with specific dune elevations noted across landmarks like Green Hill, Dagger Hill, and Big Ball Hill. These dunes reach heights up to 37 feet, illustrating the dynamic nature of the Texas barrier island system before significant modern development.

The presence of the Kleberg Co and Kenedy Co boundary line across the lower third of the map provides a vital reference for researchers of south Texas land history. Localized features such as Boggy Slough and the shoreline area known as Little Shell highlight specific coastal environments, while triangulation stations like Valley and Union indicate the primary surveying points used by the Coast and Geodetic Survey to chart this remote stretch of coastline.