1950 Map of Barkman

About this map

Red River meanders define the border landscape between Bowie County, Texas, and Little River County, Arkansas, during this mid-century period. The terrain is characterized by a complex network of oxbow lakes and abandoned river channels, including Roseborough Lake, Smith Lake, and The Old Sag, which mark the river's shifting path over time. Settlement is concentrated around the community of Barkman and southern points, where social life is anchored by institutions like the Rosenwald Sch and local congregations at St Lukes Ch, Everett Ch, and Mt Zion Ch. The hydrologic environment is heavily managed, as evidenced by the Diversion Canal and McKinney Bayou, which snake through the bottomlands. This map captures the agricultural and social structure of the river valley before modern channelization further altered the historic floodplain and the family farms that relied upon it.