Loading map...

1949 Map of Adel

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Adel
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1968
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1968

About this map

The confluence of the North Raccoon River and South Raccoon River shapes the geography of this mid-century Dallas County landscape. The rail-and-river economy is clearly defined by the Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific and Chicago and North Western lines connecting central settlements like Adel, Redfield, and Dexter. These rail corridors served a rural landscape heavily punctuated by the one-room schoolhouse system, including School No 8 and School No 5, which remained prominent features of the township structure at the time of the survey.

Genealogists will find significant detail in the placement of numerous cemeteries and country churches, such as Washington Chapel and East Linn Cem. The map also captures several smaller nodes of settlement like Wiscotta and Kennedy, along with industrial markers like the Gravel Pits and Kilns near the riverbanks. The terrain transitions from the systematic section grids of the northern townships to the more complex, wooded drainage basins of Mosquito Creek and Bulger Creek.