1940 Map of Bedford

About this map

Sheridan serves as a key rail point along the Chicago Great Western line in this 1940 survey of the rural borderlands between Iowa and Missouri. The landscape is defined by the winding paths of the Platte River and Grand River, which dictate the placement of early settlements and roads. This map captures a dense network of one-room schoolhouses that once served the farm families of Independence and Union townships, including the poetically named Star of the West Sch and Lone Star Sch. The survey also marks established community burial grounds like New Hope Cem and Sheridan Cem, providing essential points of reference for genealogical research. Small hamlets like Isadora and Athelstan appear here at their mid-century peak, linked by local routes and the railroad.