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1952 Map of Yarborough Pass

Name: 1952 Topographic Map of Yarborough Pass
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1968
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1968

About this map

The remote South Texas coastline is defined here by the meeting of the Penascal Rincon and the expansive waters of Laguna Madre. This 1952 survey documents a landscape where survival depended on deep water access, as evidenced by the numerous named wells scattered across the mainland, including Picacho Nuevos Artesian Well and Richards Artesian Well. These artesian sources supported isolated coastal outposts like Carnestolendas Ranch and Mota Negra in an era before widespread modern infrastructure reached this part of Kenedy County.

Separating the lagoon from the Gulf of Mexico is the narrow strip of Padre Island, intersected by the namesake Yarborough Pass. The map highlights the early dredging efforts of the Intracoastal Waterway, complete with designated Spoil Banks and the shallow flats of the Middle Ground. This cartographic record captures a specific moment in the history of the Texas coast, showing the relationship between working cattle ranches and the emerging maritime commerce route through the lagoon.