1939 Map of Bayouville

About this map

The Mississippi River creates a massive, looping bend around Island No 8, a central feature of this pre-war survey of the borderlands between Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee. This riverine landscape is defined by its complex drainage and levee systems, where St Johns Bayou and Black Bayou wind through a patchwork of timber and cleared farmland. The map reveals a rural society built on higher ground, with small settlements like Bayouville and Farrenburg connected by the St Louis Southwestern RR. Genealogy researchers will find significant value in the distribution of family-named landmarks and essential community nodes, including Pinhook Ch & Sch, Walnut Grove Sch, and the Barker Cem. The map illustrates the intensive effort to manage the alluvial valley, featuring numerous surveying tracts like Survey 3187 and engineering works such as the Flood Gate near the Missouri riverbank.