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1954 Map of Vidaurri

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of Vidaurri
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1981
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1981

About this map

The Missouri Pacific railroad cuts a straight line through the coastal prairies of Refugio County, anchoring the small settlement of Vidaurri. This mid-century landscape is defined by its transition from large cattle operations to a intensive petroleum production. The map reveals the sprawling infrastructure of the Greta Oil Field and the West Vidaurri Oil Field, where vast networks of pipelines and tanks intermingle with established ranching properties like Welder Ranch and Lambert Ranch.

Hydrology plays a significant role in this terrain, with drainage patterns flowing toward the coast through Copano Creek and Melon Creek. Seasonal water features such as Sharps Lake (Dry) and the smaller Twin Mott Lake dot the landscape, while the southern reaches near the Aransas County line transition into wetter environments near Mustang Lake. The surveying captured a moment when industrial oil extraction was the dominant economic force, reshaping the geography around older landmarks like Quintana and Upton Corner.