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1968 Map of Blakesburg

Name: 1968 Topographic Map of Blakesburg
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1971
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1971

About this map

Blakesburg and the surrounding farm country of southern Iowa are defined by a complex network of stream valleys and agricultural boundaries during the late 1960s. The township lines of Mantua, Urbana, and Union intersect at a triple-county corner where Monroe, Wapello, and Appanoose counties meet. This geography created a localized community identity anchored by several rural burying grounds, including Caldwell Cem, Eslinger Cem, and Sales Cem, which serve as vital markers for local family history.

Transportation through these dissected uplands is anchored by the Chicago Milwaukee St Paul and Pacific railroad, which cuts a straight path across the winding drainage of South Avery Creek and Soap Creek. Smaller settlements like Brompton and landmarks such as Union Chapel provide evidence of the social and economic nodes that supported this rural landscape before the further consolidation of local services.