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1953 Map of Terrell Wells

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Terrell Wells
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

The southwest outskirts of San Antonio are defined by massive mid-century military installations and suburban expansion in this early 1950s record. Lackland AFB and Kelly Air Force Base dominate the northern landscape, while residential developments like Columbia Heights and Terrell Wells begin to infill the space between the city center and the agricultural reaches of the Medina River. The infrastructure of a growing Texas city is evident in the presence of the Leon Creek Power Plant and the intricate rail network of the Southern Pacific and Missouri Pacific lines.

Rural remnants persist among the emerging subdivisions, including the Lona China Cem and family-named landmarks like Curly Hill and Red Oak Hill. In the south, the terrain softens toward the riparian corridors of Indian Creek and Comanche Creek, leading to the large water bodies of Mitchell Lake and Canvasback Lake. Numerous educational sites, from Colliers Sch to the South San Antonio High Sch, document the community investment accompanying the era's population surge.