1924 Map of Cape Girardeau

About this map

Jackson stands as the central hub of this 1920s river county landscape, where the confluence of regional thoroughfares like the Cape Girardeau and Perryville Road and Marble Hill Road meet. The map reveals an exceptionally dense network of rural infrastructure, particularly the staggering number of country schools such as Needmore School, Schoenebeck School, and Sandy Ridge School that served the outlying farming townships of Byrd and Hubble. Along the eastern edge, the Mississippi River defines the border, with the St Louis San Francisco Railroad hugging the bank through Gulf Junction and Rock Levee. This survey captures the transition between the river-dependent economy and the growing inland settlements, evidenced by the numerous named creek systems like Apple Creek and Whitewater River that once dictated the placement of these now-quiet rural communities.