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1939 Map of Arnica

Name: 1939 Topographic Map of Arnica
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1965
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1965

About this map

The settlement of Arnica and the surrounding borderlands of Cedar, St. Clair, and Polk counties are captured here just before the mid-century. This 1939 survey, conducted by W. D. Phillips and I. E. Nelson, reveals a landscape defined by an exceptionally dense network of rural infrastructure, including many small schools like Harvard Sch, Prairie Mound Sch, and Liberty Sch that served the dispersed farming families of Washington and Jefferson townships.

Waterways like Turkey Creek and Brush Creek dictate the settlement patterns, with commercial hubs like Williams Store and social centers such as Hickory Grove Ch located along the ridges. For genealogists, the map provides specific locations for family-named landmarks including the Sheek Cem and Simrell Cem, alongside smaller hamlets like Birdsong and Claud. The high density of designated schoolhouses and churches suggests a peak period of rural community life before later consolidation and migration patterns shifted the local population.