Amazing Vintage Photos of Life in Texas in the 1970s

Marc St. Gil was one of about a hundred photographers commissioned by the Environmental Protection Agency to document American life in the 1970s as part of the DOCUMERICA project.

He traveled to the areas of surrounding Houston and San Antonio, Texas to document the water and air pollution crisis, but also captured what life was like on ranches and in small towns.

 

A Skinned Possum Shown by One of the Oldest Trappers in Texas, the Town of Leakey. Near San Antonio, 12/1973.

City Street Car, 07/1972.

Deer Hunters at Their Permanent Camp Amuse Themselves between Real Kills. They Leave Grain at the Deer's Feeding Places and Wait until Sunset When the Deer Come Out to Feed. Hiding behind Deer Blinds, the Hunters Find the Animals an Easy Prey, 11/1972.

Deer Hunters Drink and Play Poker While Waiting for Wild Deer. The Hunters Have Built a Permanent Camp to Which They Return Each Year, 11/1972.

Deer Hunters Prepare Their Evening Meal at the Permanent Camp They Have Constructed near Wild Deer Feeding Places. They Construct Blinds near the Feeding Places and Slaughter the Animals When They Come for Food, 11/1972.

Father and Son Who Own One of the Ranches in the Leakey Texas, and San Antonio Area Watch as Sheep Are Sheared, 05/1973.

Fur Buyer with a Load of Deer Hides in Leakey, near San Antonio, 12/1973.

Fur Skins of Fox, Raccoon and Bobcat Being Prepared for Market in Leakey, Texas, near San Antonio, 12/1973.

Larry Roming, 34, and Frank Stumbaugh 27, at the Hunter's Permanent Camp. The Hunters Fatten Wild Deer by Leaving Grain at Their Feeding Places. 11/1972.

Leakey Store Owners, 07/1972.

Main Street of Leakey, 11/1972.

Mayor Casey in the Truck That Is His Traveling "Office." He Uses the Doors for His "Files." 06/1972.

Mayor Casey's Chalk Board Hangs Outside His Office. He Uses the Board for Advertisements and Other "Messages" to His Constituency, 06/1972.

Message on a Wall in the Frio Canyon Lodge, 07/1972.

Miss Junior Texas Shown with Friends in Leakey, Texas, Her Home Town, near San Antonio, 05/1973.

Motorcyclist from Leakey, Texas, Stops to Talk with Friends near San Antonio, 05/1973.

www.businessinsider.coOil Derrick beside Restaurant and Used Car L

One Girl Smokes Pot While Her Friend Watches During an Outing in Cedar Woods near Leakey, Texas. (Taken with Permission) near San Antonio. One of Nine Pictures 05/1973.

Pizza Place in the Town of Leakey, Texas, near San Antonio 05/1973.

Ranch Family in the Leakey, Texas, and San Antonio Area Eating on the Porch of the Bunkhouse 05/1973.

Sheared Sheep on a Ranch near Leakey, Texas, Awaiting Transport to a Slaughter House on Return to Pasture near San Antonio 05/1973.

Sheep Being Sheared on a Ranch, near Leakey, Texas, and San Antonio 05/1973.

Spurs of a Ranch Hand Who Works in the Area of Leakey Texas, near San Antonio 05/1973.

Sunday Services in Leakey 07/1972.

Swimming in Polluted Lake Charles. Olin-Mathieson Plant in Background 06/1972.

Teenage Girls Wading the Frio Canyon River near Leakey Texas, While on an Outing with Friends near San Antonio 05/1973.

The Atlas Chemical Company Belches Smoke across Pasture Land in Foreground. The Plant Is Referred to as "Old Darky" in the Community Because Black Soot from the Plant Covers Everything Near-By. One Farmer Claims He Lost Several Cows Due to Soot and Chemicals from Atlas, 06/1972.

The First Deer Casualty of the Hunting Season Is Tied to Top of Automobile. Leakey Gasoline Station 11/1972.

The First Deer Killed in the Hunting Season Arrives at Deer Storage 11/1972.

Woodrow Wilson, One of Leakey's Local Characters, in His Pickup. He Never Works, But Sits Staring at the River from 7 A.M until Sunset 06/1972.

Workers from Mexico at a Cedar Mill near Leakey, Texas, as a Supervisor Stands by near San Antonio 12/1973.

Young Woman from San Antonio, Texas, Who Spends Her Vacations in Leakey, Texas, Because She Likes the People and Has Many Friends in the Town. Near San Antonio 12/1973.

(via Business Insider)