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1957 Map of Barnumton

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of Barnumton
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1957
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

The Niangua River and its southern fork, the Little Niangua River, define this mid-1930s landscape in central Missouri. Following the completion of the Bagnell Dam, the Lake of the Ozarks backfills these deep river valleys, creating the characteristic branching shoreline of the region. The map captures the transition of the valley floor, where former river crossings like the Nonsuch Ferry are noted in the newly flooded terrain.

Upland from the water, the settlement of Barnumton sits among a complex system of wooded ridges and named drainages such as Kobs Hollow, Osborn Hollow, and Prairie Hollow. Geologist H. A. Buehler and topographers M. J. Harden and J. P. Rydeen documented this area during a period of significant environmental change, noting local water sources like Eadsons Spring that remained vital as the lower elevations were permanently altered by the new reservoir.