Zoom in. Blend or Swipe to compare the 1890s Trinity River with today’s Dallas-Fort Worth.
Then and Now: The River That Made Texas
About this map: The historic layer relies on original 1890s USGS topographic maps. Because 19th-century surveyors didn't have GPS, laying these old maps perfectly flat over a modern satellite view causes slight alignment quirks. You might notice some streets don't line up exactly, but the larger story—the total remaking of the Trinity River—is unmistakable. You can see this in the river channel straightened out and moved in downtown Dallas, the urban sprawl, and the reservoirs on its branches.
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Discussion Questions:
Look at downtown Dallas and describe how the shape of the river changed. Why do you think the city decided to straighten the river and trap it inside those massive green spaces (the floodways)?
Relevant TEKS:
§113.15 (9) Geography: The student understands how people adapt to and modify their environment.
(A) describe ways people have adapted to and modified their environment in Texas, past and present, such as timber clearing, agricultural production, wetlands drainage, energy production, and construction of dams.
(B) identify reasons why people have adapted to and modified their environment in Texas, past and present, such as the use of natural resources to meet basic needs, facilitate transportation, and enhance recreational activities.
§113.15 (8) Geography: The student understands the location and patterns of settlement and the geographic factors that influence where people live.
(B) explain the geographic factors such as landforms and climate that influence patterns of settlement and the distribution of population in Texas, past and present.
§113.15 (5) History: The student understands important issues, events, and individuals of the 20th century in Texas.
(A) explain the impact of various events on the geographic distribution of population in Texas and the growth of cities.
§113.15 (4) History: The student understands the political, economic, and social changes in Texas during the last half of the 19th century.
(C) identify the impact of railroads on life in Texas, including changes to cities and major industries.
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Zoom in to the area around downtown Dallas slowly drag the slider to compare the original, wildly twisting loops of the Trinity River in the 1890s to the straight, heavily engineered channel of the modern Dallas Floodway.
Discussion Questions: Why do you think city planners spent millions of dollars to straighten the shape of the river? What were they trying to protect the growing city from, and what happens to the speed and power of water when you straighten a curving river?
Relevant TEKS:
§113.19 (7.9) Geography: The student understands the effects of the interaction between humans and the environment in Texas.
(A) identify ways in which Texans have adapted to and modified the environment and explain the positive and negative consequences of the modifications.
§113.19 (7.11) Economics: The student understands the factors that caused Texas to change from an agrarian to an urban society.
(A) explain economic factors and the development of major industries that led to the urbanization of Texas such as transportation, oil and gas, and manufacturing.
§113.19 (7.8) Geography: The student understands the location and characteristics of places and regions of Texas.
(C) analyze the effects of physical and human factors such as climate, weather, landforms, irrigation, transportation, and communication on major events in Texas.
And 8th grade bonus:
§113.20 (8.11) Geography: The student understands the physical characteristics of North America and how humans adapted to and modified the environment.
(A) analyze how physical characteristics of the environment influenced population distribution, settlement patterns, and economic activities in the United States.
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Discussion Questions:
Choose your own!
Relevant TEKS:
§113.43 (8) Geography (Human-Environment Interaction): The student understands how people, places, and environments are connected and interdependent.
(A) compare ways that humans depend on, adapt to, and modify the physical environment, including the influences of culture and technology.
(B) describe the interaction between humans and the physical environment and analyze the consequences of extreme weather and other natural disasters such as floods, tsunamis, and volcanoes.
§113.43 (14) Geography (Population Impacts): The student understands the processes that influence the size, distribution, and composition of human populations.
(A) analyze the impact of human population growth on the physical environment.
§113.41 (3) History (The Gilded Age to 1898): The student understands the political, economic, and social changes in the United States from 1877 to 1898.
(B) analyze economic issues such as industrialization, the growth of railroads, the growth of labor unions, farm issues, the cattle industry boom, the growth of entrepreneurship, and the pros and cons of big business.
§113.41 (14) Geography (Population and Environment): The student understands the relationship between population growth and the physical environment.
(A) identify the effects of population growth and distribution on the physical environment.
(B) identify the roles of governmental entities and private citizens in managing the environment.