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1948 Map of Brookfield

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Brookfield
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1948
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1948

About this map

Brookfield and Linneus anchor this mid-century look at Linn County, where the Chicago Burlington and Quincy railroad cuts a straight line through the southern townships. The landscape is defined by the parallel courses of Locust Creek, Turkey Creek, and Yellow Creek, creating a series of north-south ridges that hosted numerous small community centers.

Genealogists will find a dense network of country school districts and rural churches, such as Prairie Seminary Sch and New Garden Ch, many of which served families surrounding Purdin and Laclede. The presence of Pershing State Park along the western edge highlights the preservation of the bottomlands near West Locust Creek, while cemeteries like Gooch Cem and Dryden Cem provide specific anchors for local family histories. This survey reflects the region's transition from a strictly agrarian patchwork to a more centralized industrial economy based around the rail hubs.