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1959 Map of Starks

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Starks
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1963
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1963

About this map

The Sabine River forms a complex boundary between Louisiana and Texas, creating a dense network of oxbows and backwaters such as Horseshoe Lake, Mims Lake, and the wetland maze of Devils Pocket. In this late 1950s landscape, the town of Starks serves as a local hub along the Kansas City Southern railroad, which cuts a straight path southwest through the heart of the terrain. The presence of the Starks Oil Field and scattered gas wells indicates the region's industrial ties to petroleum extraction, while a Lookout Tower and a series of levees point to the ongoing management of this low-lying, water-dominated environment.

Rural life is anchored by family-named landmarks and community institutions, from North Starks School to small country churches like Antioch Ch. Local history and genealogy are preserved in isolated burial grounds including Fountain Cem, Clarks Cem, and Doyle Cem. While Deweyville sits across the river in Texas, the Louisiana side features smaller settlements like Big Woods and Lunita, connected by an older network of routes including an Old Railroad Grade and the Bess Branch road.