1986 Map of Blytheville

About this map

The Mississippi River carves a massive, winding path through the center of this mid-1980s survey, defining the boundary between the Arkansas Delta and West Tennessee. On the western bank, the landscape is shaped by the presence of Blytheville Air Force Base and the riverfront commerce of Osceola and Luxora. To the east, the terrain shifts into the broken bluffs and bottomlands of Tennessee, where the Hatchie River and Forked Deer River converge toward the main channel. Large-scale public and conservation lands dominate the river corridor, including the Anderson-Tully State Wildlife Management Area and the Fort Pillow State Prison Farm. Local history is preserved in the smaller settlements like Nodena and Golddust, while the Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge and Tigrett State Wildlife Management Area mark significant preserved wetlands. The map also traces the infrastructure of the era, from the Burlington Northern Railroad in Arkansas to the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad serving Covington and Ripley.