2009 Map of Blue Rapids SW

About this map

Cottage Hill serves as the primary community anchor in this rural portion of Marshall County, situated among a network of cemeteries that speak to the area's diverse ethnic and cultural settlement history. The landscape is defined by the drainage patterns of the Big Blue River and its numerous tributaries, including Swede Creek, Little Swede Creek, and Game Fork. This 2009 survey reveals the lasting presence of immigrant communities through landmarks like the Saint Wenceslaus Cemetery and Czech Cemetery, which sit along the grid of gravel roads. The terrain is largely agricultural, punctuated by small-scale developments such as the Roepke Landing Strip and a series of family and community burial grounds, including Pleasant Hill Cemetery and Rose Hill Cemetery. The interplay of names like Bellegarde Cemetery and Swede Creek Cemetery illustrates the localized heritage of the families who worked these prairie lands.