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1964 Map of Cades

Name: 1964 Topographic Map of Cades
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1965
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1965

About this map

Cummins State Prison Farm dominates the central landscape of this mid-1960s survey, where the meanders of the Arkansas River define the boundary between Lincoln and Jefferson Counties. The river's historical course has left behind significant oxbow features like Sloan Lake and Old River, creating a complex network of wetlands including Brushy Lake and Hannaberry Lake. This area reflects a deep-rooted agricultural and institutional layout, with the prison's vast acreage and boundary lines clearly delineated against the surrounding private land.

Small communities and rural hubs such as Cades, Varner, and Douglas are connected by the Missouri Pacific railroad line, which cuts diagonally through the bottomlands. Local genealogy and settlement history are preserved through numerous country churches and burial grounds, such as Palestine Ch, New Bethlehem Ch, and Douglas Cem. The drainage of the floodplain is managed by a system of bayous and creeks, notably Choctaw Bayou and Cypress Creek, which historically dictated the pattern of early settlement in these Arkansas bottomlands.