1925 Map of Altenburg

About this map

Altenburg, Frohna, and Wittenberg anchor this 1925 survey, reflecting the deep-rooted German Lutheran heritage of eastern Perry County. The landscape is defined by the sharp drop from the upland loess hills down to the Mississippi River, where river commerce once relied on numerous family-named landings such as Leimbach Landing and Brunkhurst Landing. The St Louis San Francisco RR follows the narrow riverbank, squeezing past geological landmarks like Tower Rock and the Devils Bake Oven. Inland, the map reveals a dense network of country schools and churches, including Goshen Church and the Fiehler School, which served the farming communities of Brazeau and Shawnee townships. Industrial activity is noted at the Silica Mines near the river, while the complex river geometry near Grand Tower Island shows the constant shifting of the state boundary between Missouri and Illinois.