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1948 Map of Bethany

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Bethany
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1948
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1948

About this map

The Bethany area of Harrison County is anchored by the presence of the Chicago Burlington and Quincy railroad, which runs through the southern portion of the township toward New Hampton. This postwar survey documents a landscape defined by an incredibly dense network of rural infrastructure, including dozens of one-room schools like Pebble Ridge Sch and White Fawn Sch that served a dispersed farming population. Significant local landmarks include the County Farm near the city limits and the Bread Lakes Pumping Sta to the north.

Water management and local history are intertwined along the forks of Big Creek and at the Bethany Reservoir. For genealogists, the map is a detailed record of family-named sites and burial grounds such as Koger Cem, Phillebaum Cem, and Magee Cem. Small rural centers like Brooklyn and Washington Center illustrate the settlement patterns of northwest Missouri before the consolidation of rural districts.