Loading map...

1953 Map of Calhoun West

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Calhoun West
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1955
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1955

About this map

The Missouri Kansas Texas railroad cuts a diagonal path through Henry County, serving as the primary corridor for commerce and settlement in this western Missouri landscape. The town of Calhoun and the smaller station at Lewis anchor the rail line, surrounded by a network of rural schoolhouses and churches that suggest a closely knit agricultural community. Distinctive local landmarks like Drakes Chapel and Mt Gilead Ch provide vital touchstones for family historians tracing early residents of the Shawnee and Deer Creek townships.

Coal extraction and surface mining are visible across the terrain, notably at the Spangle Mine, Redding Mine, and several unnamed Strip Mines. These industrial sites appear alongside natural features like the West Fork Tebo Creek and Sand Creek, where the transition from prairie to wooded drainage defines the local geography. The map also records small, potentially forgotten locales such as Nardeton, offering a detailed view of the county before modern development altered these traditional township boundaries.