1955 Map of Blytheville

About this map

Blytheville serves as the industrial and transportation hub of this Mississippi River delta landscape, situated at the intersection of U.S. 61 and the St Louis-San Francisco RR. The map reveals a dense network of drainage ditches—such as Ditch No. 1 and Ditch No. 40—which transformed this lowland into a productive agricultural region. Beyond the city center, rural life is organized around small settlements and school-church complexes like Number Nine and Promised Land. Along the eastern edge, the Mississippi River creates a dynamic boundary, featuring Barfield Bend and several islands including Island No. 25 and Forked Deer Island. The map records specific social infrastructure of the mid-1950s, including the Mississippi County Training School and the Mississippi County Penal Farm, reflecting the era's civic and educational landscape before modern consolidation.