1962 Map of Canaan

About this map

Canaan sits atop the high ridges of the Ozark foothills, presiding over a landscape defined by the deep incisions of the Little Red River and its multiple forks. This early 1960s survey documents a network of highland communities where life centered on country churches and family burial grounds, such as Oak Hill Ch and Oak Hill Cem. The topography is exceptionally varied, ranging from the prominent Bohannon Mountain to the localized peaks of Green Griffin Knob and Star Mountain. In the southern reaches, the boundary between Searcy Co and Van Buren Co cuts across Shady Grove, where Shady Grove Ch and its namesake cemetery served the local rural population. Numerous hollows, including Sulphur Springs Hollow and Picayune Hollow, suggest a settlement pattern dictated by the steep drainages and limited level ground between the winding river branches.