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1955 Map of Benton

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Benton
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1956
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1956

About this map

The Missouri Pacific railroad cuts a straight line through the heart of the Kansas prairie, anchoring the agricultural settlements of Benton and Towanda. This mid-century landscape is defined by the winding course of the Whitewater River and its tributaries, including West Branch and Rock Creek. While the terrain is predominantly rural, the presence of an Oil Field with numerous scattered Oil Wells and storage tanks indicates the importance of mineral extraction to the local economy.

Evidence of the area's earlier history is preserved in the Old Indian Boundary, which angles across the southern sections of the map. Genealogists can locate burial sites at Benton Cem and Old Benton Cem, while the southern margin shows the emergence of modern infrastructure with the Kansas Turnpike (Toll Road) crossing Badger Creek. This survey captures the transition between traditional farming and the industrial influence of petroleum and high-speed transit.