1948 Map of Bethany

About this map

Bethany serves as the focal point of this Northwest Missouri landscape, situated where the Chicago Burlington and Quincy railroad line meets the forks of Big Creek. The map reveals a dense agricultural network of the mid-1940s, marked by an exceptional number of rural schools like Pebble Ridge Sch and Muddy Valley Sch spaced nearly every few miles. Local governance and social services are anchored by the County Farm and Washington Center, while industrial infrastructure appears via the Great Lakes Pumping Sta south of New Hampton. The terrain is defined by the drainages of the West Fork Big Creek and East Fork Big Creek, which dictated the placement of early settlements like Martinsville. Numerous country cemeteries and churches, including Hillebaum Cem and Oakland Ch, provide precise location data for genealogical research in Harrison County.