1959 Map of Artesia

About this map

The Gulf Mobile And Ohio railroad acts as the central artery through this prairie landscape, connecting the primary settlements of Artesia, Crawford, and Mayhew. This network supported a dense distribution of rural institutions during the late 1950s, evidenced by the numerous country churches and schools like Prairie Grove Ch and Truevine Sch scattered across the Oktibbeha and Lowndes county lines. The map reveals a transition from the structured airfield at Oktibbeha Airport to the undeveloped wetlands of the Noxubee River bottomlands. In the southwest corner, the establishment of the National Wildlife Refuge and its associated floodgates and levees indicates an era of managed conservation and water control along the river's winding course. This mix of small-town railroad hubs and persistent family-named landmarks like Ledbetter Cem and Billups Chapel provides a clear view of eastern Mississippi's mid-century social geography.