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1931 Map of Cairo

Name: 1931 Topographic Map of Cairo
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1954
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1954

About this map

The confluence of the Ohio River and Mississippi River dominates this early 20th-century landscape, centered on the strategic river port of Cairo. The map illustrates a dense network of steam-era transportation, featuring the Illinois Central, Mobile and Ohio, and the Cleveland Cincinnati Chicago and St Louis railroads converging near the river's tip. Beyond the urban centers of Mound City and Mounds, the terrain transitions into the backwater sloughs and lakes of the Cache River basin.

Genealogists will find a wealth of specific local landmarks, including the National Cem north of Mound City and over a dozen rural schools such as Valley Recluse Sch and Pleasant Hill Sch. Across the river in Kentucky, the map details the hazardous Grand Chain rapids and small settlements like Barlow and Levings, providing a comprehensive view of this multi-state riverine junction before modern levee and highway developments altered the floodplains.