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Old Maps of Bates County, Missouri for Metal Detecting

Plan your next treasure hunt with 126 historic maps of Bates County. Find old homesites, ghost towns, trails, and gathering spots that may be lost to time — perfect for identifying promising metal detecting locations.

  • Locate forgotten sites: Uncover places like long-lost settlements, abandoned rail lines, or gathering spots.
  • Plan better hunts: Use map overlays combined with LiDAR or satellite views to narrow in on historically rich areas.
  • Made for detectorists: Thousands of hobbyists use these maps to discover relics, coins, and hidden history.

Use these historic maps to boost your research and find new opportunities beneath the surface of Bates County.

Bates County, MO maps

(126)
  1. 1887 Map of Butler
    1887 Map of Butler
    1887 Butler
    1887 Print · USGS
    Bates County is captured here in the 1880s as the rail and river economies converged. Researchers can trace the early footprints of Butler and Rich Hill, or locate smaller disappeared locales like Carbon Centre and Crescent Hill.
  4. 1887 Map of Mound City
    1887 Map of Mound City
    1887 Mound City
    1887 Print · USGS
    Linn and Miami counties are captured here in the 1880s, showcasing a landscape of river-valley agriculture and rapid railroad growth. Researchers can trace the path of the Kansas City Fort Scott and Gulf Railroad through Pleasanton or locate early settlements like Trading Post and Wall Street.
  7. 1893 Map of Mound City
    1893 Map of Mound City
    1893 Mound City
    1893 Print · USGS
    Eastern Kansas at the close of the nineteenth century is defined here by its rail-and-river network and early township boundaries. Genealogists and historians can trace the early growth of Mound City, Pleasanton, and La Cygne along the Kansas City Osage and Gulf Railroad.
    4 unique versions available
  10. 1894 Map of Butler
    1894 Map of Butler
    1894 Butler
    1894 Print · USGS
    Bates County is captured here in the late nineteenth century as the railroad began to redefine its rural economy. Genealogists can trace family roots through the grids of Butler and Rich Hill, or locate smaller centers like Papinsville and Crescent Hill.
    4 unique versions available
  13. 1934 Map of Papinsville
    1934 Map of Papinsville
    1934 Papinsville
    1934 Print · USGS
    Bates and Vernon counties are captured here in the mid-1930s, revealing a landscape defined by the winding Mariais Des Cygnes and Osage rivers. Genealogists can trace early landmarks like the Old Harmony Mission Site and various family-named features such as Helem Lake and Maus Cem.
    2 unique versions available
  16. 1934 Map of Rockville
    1934 Map of Rockville
    1934 Rockville
    1934 Print · USGS
    Mid-Missouri river life in the 1930s is centered on the shifting currents of the Osage River and the small-town hubs of the Kansas and Texas railroad. Trace the locations of rural schoolhouses like Mc Davitt Sch or find family roots at Spring Grove Cem.
  19. 1936 Map of Rich Hill
    1936 Map of Rich Hill
    1936 Rich Hill
    1936 Print · USGS
    Rich Hill and the surrounding river bottoms are captured here in the mid-1930s, during an era of transition for Missouri's coal country. Genealogists and local historians can trace rural school districts like Stone Gate Sch and Panama Sch, or locate family-named sites such as Philbrick Hills and the Jonnum Mines.
  22. 1937 Map of New Home, 1939 Print
    1937 Map of New Home, 1939 Print
    1937 New Home
    1939 Print · USGS
    Bates County agriculture and industry meet along the Osage River in the late thirties. Genealogists can locate family landmarks like Thomas Cem or Morris Cem, and trace the rural school system from Belmont Sch to Lost Corner Sch.
    3 unique versions available
  25. 1938 Map of Worland, 1954 Print
    1938 Map of Worland, 1954 Print
    1938 Worland
    1954 Print · USGS
    Bates County sits at a rail-and-river crossroads in the late 1930s, documenting a landscape defined by the Osage River and competing rail lines. Researchers can trace rural genealogy through landmarks like Klondike Sch, Independence Ch, and Salem Cem.
    3 unique versions available
  28. 1940 Map of Worland
    1940 Map of Worland
    1940 Worland
    1940 Print · USGS
    Bates County, Missouri, was a landscape of bustling rail towns and schoolhouse districts just before the Second World War. Genealogists can trace family footprints through numerous rural cemeteries like Woodfin Cem and local school sites such as Johnson Sch and Standish Sch.
    2 unique versions available
  31. 1940 Map of Hume, 1954 Print
    1940 Map of Hume, 1954 Print
    1940 Hume
    1954 Print · USGS
    The Missouri-Kansas borderlands come to life in this late-depression era survey centered on Hume. Genealogists and local historians can trace family roots through numerous rural landmarks like Hume Cem, Union Chapel, and the settlement of Amos.
    3 unique versions available
  34. 1942 Map of Hume
    1942 Map of Hume
    1942 Hume
    1942 Print · USGS
    The Missouri-Kansas border area near Hume is captured here just before the mid-century, showing a landscape tightly woven with railroads and rural school districts. Genealogists can locate family landmarks like Lawrence Cem, Union Chapel, and the now-vanished rail stop at Amos.
    2 unique versions available
  37. 1942 Map of Sprague
    1942 Map of Sprague
    1942 Sprague
    1942 Print · USGS
    The rural borderlands of Bates and Vernon Counties are captured here during the early 1940s, just as the landscape was shifting away from its rail-dependent roots. Researchers can trace the legacy of local education through numerous country schoolhouses like White Rock Sch and Fairview Sch, or locate family sites near Greenlawn Cemetery.
    3 unique versions available
  40. 1947 Map of Lawrence, 1954 Print
    1947 Map of Lawrence, 1954 Print
    1947 Lawrence
    1954 Print · USGS
    Eastern Kansas and western Missouri thrive in the late 1940s, showing a landscape defined by major river valleys and a dense railway network. Genealogists can trace family settlements from Lawrence to Greenwood and locate landmarks like Olathe Navy and Lake Lotawana.
  43. 1950 Map of Lawrence
    1950 Map of Lawrence
    1950 Lawrence
    1950 Print · USGS
    Mid-century Kansas and Missouri come alive in this map of the river-valley corridors just as the interstate era was beginning. Researchers can trace the legacy of major rail lines like the Union Pacific RR and locate ancestral roots in towns from Lawrence to Harrisonville.
  46. 1953 Map of Johnstown, 1954 Print
    1953 Map of Johnstown, 1954 Print
    1953 Johnstown
    1954 Print · USGS
    The rural border of Henry and Bates counties is captured here in the early fifties, showing a landscape shaped by creek drainage and small farming hubs. Genealogists can locate family burial sites at St Ludger Cem and Poage Cem, or trace the old school districts at Johnstown Sch and Aurora Sch.
    2 unique versions available
  49. 1953 Map of Creighton, 1955 Print
    1953 Map of Creighton, 1955 Print
    1953 Creighton
    1955 Print · USGS
    Creighton and Urich sat at a busy county-line junction in the early fifties, before the landscape was altered by modern river management. Genealogists can trace rural roots at Smoky Row Sch, Cove Creek Ch, and family burial grounds like Parker Cem.
  52. 1955 Map of Rich Hill
    1955 Map of Rich Hill
    1955 Rich Hill
    1955 Print · USGS
    Bates and Vernon Counties are captured here in the mid-1930s, showing a landscape shaped by coal mining and river bottomlands. Genealogists can trace rural school districts like Stone Gate Sch and old mining centers at Carbon Center and Monnum Mines.
  55. 1956 Map of Lawrence, 1967 Print
    1956 Map of Lawrence, 1967 Print
    1956 Lawrence
    1967 Print · USGS
    Eastern Kansas and the Missouri border country are captured here during the mid-century transition to the interstate era. Genealogists and local historians can trace family-named terrain like Summers Mound and the footprint of Sunflower Ordnance Works near Baldwin City.
    4 unique versions available
  58. 1961 Map of Lawrence
    1961 Map of Lawrence
    1961 Lawrence
    1961 Print · USGS
    The Kansas-Missouri borderland shows its mid-century transition from a rail-dependent agricultural region to a suburbanizing landscape. Genealogists can trace family footprints through numerous Cem sites and distinctive terrain landmarks like Graves Mound and Summers Mound.
  61. 1961 Map of Pleasant Gap, 1962 Print
    1961 Map of Pleasant Gap, 1962 Print
    1961 Pleasant Gap
    1962 Print · USGS
    Bates County, Missouri, is captured here in the early sixties as a region of quiet farmsteads and creek-fed valleys. Genealogists and local historians can locate old landmarks like Double Branch Sch, Round Prairie Ch, and the Smith Cem.
    2 unique versions available
  64. 1961 Map of Drexel, 1962 Print
    1961 Map of Drexel, 1962 Print
    1961 Drexel
    1962 Print · USGS
    The Kansas-Missouri border comes alive in the early sixties as rural townships thrive along the rail lines. Genealogists and historians can trace family land between Drexel and the creeks of Morman Fork, or locate resting places at Sharon Cem and West Point Cem.
    2 unique versions available
  67. 1961 Map of Main City, 1962 Print
    1961 Map of Main City, 1962 Print
    1961 Main City
    1962 Print · USGS
    The borderlands of Cass and Bates counties are captured in the early sixties, showing a landscape defined by small settlements and rural schoolhouses. Genealogists can trace family footprints near Main City, Burdett, and the Fairview Ch.
    2 unique versions available
  70. 1961 Map of Butler, 1962 Print
    1961 Map of Butler, 1962 Print
    1961 Butler
    1962 Print · USGS
    Bates County is captured here in the early sixties, centered on the growing town of Butler and the Missouri Pacific rail corridor. Researchers can trace family sites at Oak Hill Cemetery, visit the rural Mt Olivet Ch, or locate the old County Farm.
    2 unique versions available
  73. 1961 Map of Adrian, 1962 Print
    1961 Map of Adrian, 1962 Print
    1961 Adrian
    1962 Print · USGS
    Bates and Cass Counties are captured here in the early sixties, centered on the Missouri Pacific rail line and the meandering South Grand River. Genealogists and local historians can pinpoint the Crescent Hill Cem, Fairview Sch, and the Coleville Community Hall in this rural landscape.
    3 unique versions available
Showing maps 1-25 of 126

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