1953 Map of Bevier South

About this map

The Bevier and Southern railroad winds southward from Bevier, serving as a vital artery for the coal mining operations that define this section of Macon County. Extensive strip mines and mine dumps dominate the landscape between Keota and Ardmore, illustrating the intense industrial extraction occurring in the mid-1950s. The landscape is a complex network of hydrological forks, including the East Fork, North Fork, and Middle Fork Chariton River, which carve through the terrain and influence the placement of early settlements. Rural life persists alongside the mines, evidenced by scattered local institutions like Thurman Sch, Antioch Ch, and New Salem Ch. The southern edge of the map shows the transition toward College Mound, where mining activity appears as under construction, signaling the continued expansion of the local coal industry into new territory.