{"product_id":"old-map-of-bandera-texas-by-usgs-1956-medina-bandera-pass-medina-river","title":"Old Map of Bandera, Texas by USGS, 1956 – Medina, Bandera Pass \u0026 Medina River","description":"\u003cp\u003eTitled “Bandera” and published by the United States Geological Survey in 1956, this 1:62,500 topographic map captures a vivid mid-century portrait of Bandera County in the Texas Hill Country. Centered on the town of Bandera, it records a landscape where settlement, ranching, roads, springs, and river valleys are closely shaped by the rugged limestone terrain. The USGS’s precise contour work reveals the broken hills and drainage patterns that define this part of Texas, giving the map both practical authority and visual richness. More than a technical survey, it is a historical snapshot of Bandera at a moment when rural roads, ranch properties, and small communities still structured daily life across the region.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBandera itself occupies an especially evocative place in Texas history, often associated with frontier culture, cattle drives, and the enduring mythology of the “Cowboy Capital of the World.” On this map, the town appears not as an isolated point but as the heart of a wider network of creeks, roads, ranches, and springs. The Kerrville-Bandera Road links the area northward, while nearby routes trace the practical geography of travel through valleys and passes. Bandera Pass, a historically significant crossing through the hills, is one of the map’s most compelling features, recalling earlier movement through this challenging terrain by Indigenous peoples, settlers, soldiers, and stockmen.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe surrounding countryside is rendered with the clarity and discipline for which USGS mapping is renowned. Contour lines articulate the rise and fall of the land, showing the ridges, slopes, and hollows that give the Hill Country its distinctive rhythm. Watercourses such as the East Fork of the Medina River, Cypress Creek, Johnson Creek, and Wicker Creek anchor the map’s geography, their winding paths marking the natural corridors that shaped settlement and ranching. Springs including Wisteria Springs, Eagle Nest Springs, Horse Pasture Spring, and Liveoak Springs add another layer of interest, highlighting the precious water sources that were essential in this semi-arid landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe map is also rich in the names of ranches and rural holdings, preserving a local geography that is often absent from broader regional maps. Munns Ranch, Ivy Burford Ranch, Septimus Ranch, and Spink’s Ranch speak to the agricultural and pastoral identity of Bandera County in the 1950s. These named properties, set among creeks, roads, and hills, suggest a landscape organized by family holdings, livestock routes, and access to water. Such details make the map especially valuable as a record of land use before later waves of development altered many parts of the Texas Hill Country. It is both a navigational document and a cultural artifact.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProduced by one of America’s most important scientific mapping agencies, this USGS sheet embodies the elegance of purposeful cartography. Its symbols for roads, water, relief, and land use are carefully standardized, yet the resulting image is far from austere: the dense contouring, meandering streams, and scattered place names create a richly textured view of Bandera and its environs. For historians, it documents a precise moment in the county’s development; for admirers of Texas landscapes, it evokes the dramatic meeting of ranch country and hill country. The 1956 “Bandera” map offers a refined and information-rich window into a distinctive corner of mid-century Texas.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBandera\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBandera County\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMedina\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJohnson Creek\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWisteria Springs\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEagle Nest Springs\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHorse Pasture Spring\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEast Fork of the Medina River\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLiveoak Springs\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCypress Creek\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWicker Creek\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMunns Ranch\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIvy Burford Ranch\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSeptimus Ranch\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSpink’s Ranch\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBandera Pass\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKerrville-Bandera Road\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical 1:62,500 topographical map of Bandera, Texas and surrounding areas\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCreated in 1956 and published by the United States Geological Survey\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProduced by the USGS, a major U.S. government scientific agency responsible for mapping and natural resource assessment\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUses contour lines to show elevation changes, hills, valleys, and waterways\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIncludes standard USGS cartographic symbols for roads, water bodies, and land use\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProvides a mid-20th-century snapshot of the geographic and development landscape of Bandera County\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUseful for understanding local history, terrain, land use, and population growth patterns over time\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLooking for a particular place?\u003c\/strong\u003e Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eask our workshop to check before you order\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDetailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/pages\/map-personalisation\"\u003eSee personalised map examples\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEvery piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/collections\/all-old-vintage-antique-maps\"\u003erare old and vintage maps\u003c\/a\u003e to discover another place, period or style.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Map","offer_id":67879090258311,"sku":null,"price":79.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":67879090291079,"sku":null,"price":209.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":67879090323847,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":67879090356615,"sku":null,"price":79.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":67879090389383,"sku":null,"price":209.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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