1945 Map of Bradford

About this map

Bradford stands as a central hub at the meeting point of Bureau and Stark Counties, serving as a vital rail node during the mid-1940s. The landscape is defined by the heavy presence of the Chicago Burlington and Quincy railroad, which links small agricultural settlements like Lombardville and Castleton. The mapping reveals a dense network of one-room schoolhouses, such as Emerson Sch and Sharkey Sch, illustrating the dispersed rural population of the era. To the east and south, the terrain transitions toward Marshall County, marked by watercourses like Senachwine Creek and Crow Creek. This document provides a look at the social geography of the region before the consolidation of rural districts, capturing the locations of numerous country churches and cemeteries, including Boyds Grove Ch and the remote St Johns Cem.