1951 Map of Barling

About this map

Camp Chaffee dominates the landscape of Sebastian County in the early postwar era, showing the extensive infrastructure of the military installation including a massive grid of barracks, an athletic field, and its own Roberts Cem. The surrounding civilian area transitions from the riverside settlement at Haroldton near the Arkansas River to the growing community of Barling. Transportation and health infrastructure are prominent, with the Missouri Pacific railroad cutting through the territory and a localized tuberculosis sanatorium perched on Wildcat Mountain. South of the military reservation, the map reveals a rural landscape defined by education and faith, featuring the Howard Hill School and the Rye Hill Church. This survey captures the region just as the Fort Smith Municipal Airport was undergoing construction, signaling a shift toward modern aviation alongside the area's established coal mining and agriculture.