1952 Map of Van Vleck

About this map

Van Vleck stands at the intersection of industry and transit in mid-century Matagorda County, where the Southern Pacific and Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroads crisscross the coastal plains. The landscape is defined by its extraction economy, with the Bay City Oil Field, Sugar Valley Oil Field, and Armour Oil Field occupying large tracts of land. These operations are integrated into a complex drainage system of levee structures and spoil banks that manage the low-lying terrain around Caney Creek and Bucks Bayou.